


Reason

by certe_cose



Category: Hunter X Hunter, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Gen, M/M, Multi, Reader Insert, Violence, but honestly i'm obsessed with hunter x hunter as always so i had to do it, reader is a nen user, the crossover nobody probably needed, wish i could do more reader insert pairings but ehhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-20 23:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 70,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21064808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/certe_cose/pseuds/certe_cose
Summary: Everything happens for a reason - at least, that's what you'd like to believe. While playing Greed Island with your friends Killua and Gon, a spell card gone wrong transports you to a whole other world - one where nen doesn't exist, and instead everybody has "quirks". Can you make it back to your own world, or are you stuck here for good?[Reader x Various BNHA][Crossposted on Quotev]





	1. Departure

Sometimes, life didn't go as planned, and you were perfectly okay with that. After all, you supposed, the twists and turns of life was what made everything so fun and interesting! That is, until now, where you somehow were deposited into the sky, falling at breakneck speed towards your quickly-approaching doom. You could use your nen, but you weren't entirely sure that could protect you from the impact of the ground, not to mention your aura was almost completely depleted.

To put it bluntly? You were fucked, and you knew it.

How did you get here, though? How did you fuck up _so_ bad in the past 24-hours that you wound up a thousand feet in the air, plummeting to your death? . . .

* * *

"I wonder how Killua is doing."

You had been lying on the ground - slacking off, really - with Bisky and Gon, staring lackadaisically at the sky as Gon continued to perfect his new nen ability. You had done it earlier, training in enhancement, but had deemed a break absolutely necessary. As long as Bisky wasn't yelling at you, it was fine, right?

Stopping what he was doing (trying to get his 'paper' to go out as far as he could), your friend shot you a pure smile. "It's Killua, he'll become a hunter in no time!"

You had no doubt that he would pass, especially since his older brother wouldn't be interfering this time, and so you nodded, finally propping yourself up on your arms. Like you, Bisky was laying on the ground lazily, giving Gon advice where it was needed. Despite your group's misgivings at first, she was honestly a great mentor. You hadn't been with your two friends at Heaven's Arena to meet Wing, but she had been much better than _your_ previous mentor, who jerked you around with the fake fundamentals for 2 months before finally helping you out.

Now sitting up, you opened up your card binder to look at what you had currently. Not a lot, if you were honest, as you kept giving your cards to Gon for him to hold onto. With the boy going back to his training, you turned to your blonde friend. "Since we weren't a part of the alliance, you don't think that bomber guy is going to seek us out, right?" you asked her. Despite the threat, it didn't scare you. Maybe it was foolish, but you and your friends had stood up to the Phantom Troupe and _lived_, so this guy didn't scare you at all.

Bisky didn't seem too worried herself, but before she could respond, you spoke up again, eyes narrowed on a card that you had never seen or heard of before. "Hey, hey, what's this?"

You could tell she was irritated by the interruption, but she peeked over and soon that irritation turned to confusion herself. In the spell section of your binder lay a new card. It was completely black, no description or number on it, save for the word "Departure". You couldn't recall ever gaining it, and so seeing it in your inventory was, for lack of better words, spooky.

And so you took it out of the binder.

"What's that?"

Sidetracked from training, Gon had wondered over, curious himself as to what had taken up yours and Bisky's attention, and you showed him the blank card. He seemed puzzled, although knowing him, it was probably because you and Bisky were so puzzled instead of the weird card itself.

"I'm not sure, but... we can find out!" you said, holding the card in front of you. Without any hesitation, you activated it, saying the name out loud as your mentor had immediately protested.

And. . . nothing.

Was it a dud? You weren't sure, but the card still lay in your hand, unmoving, and you sighed before shooting a grin to your friends. "See? Nothing even - oh."

Immediately, you felt weird, as if your heart had dropped into your stomach, and you looked down at the card to see a black hole swirling around it, swallowing it up. It didn't stop there, though, as the mass grew bigger, inking over your hands and arms at a quick pace. Where the hole touched, your skin felt like fire despite the chills going down your spine.

Oh _shit_.

"What did I do?!"

Looking up at your friends with wide eyes as the hole had nearly swallowed you whole, the last thing you saw were there horrified faces, before you plunged into the abyss.

* * *

. . . Which leads you to now. Tumbling through the sky as the ground grew closer and closer. On instinct, you activated your ren. You hoped that if you had your aura encompass your entire body, it would prevent you from impact, but you weren't too certain. It was pathetic - you had passed the hunter exam, survived an encounter with the most notorious group of S-rank criminals, and had defeated various magical beasts, only to wind up falling to your death of all things. What kind of hunter were you, to die at the young age of 16?!

Squeezing your eyes shut, you tensed for impact, knowing full well you probably weren't going to make it. _Well, I hope Killua passed the exam this time._

And that was the last thought that went through your mind before everything went black.


	2. Just Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in a hospital is usually not a good sign.

As soon as you came to consciousness, you were aware of the soreness all over your body, and you groaned, shifting uncomfortably as your eyes opened.

Where were you? The last thing you remembered was falling through the sky after that weird spell card. Were you dead? Was this the _afterlife?!_

No. You were clearly in a hospital bed, hooked up to various machines, and despite the soreness and pounding headache, you didn't see any outstanding injuries. Perhaps using your ren had protected you more than you thought. Were you still in Greed Island, or had you been ejected out of the game? If you were, it'd be a pain to get back in, but you promised Gon and Killua you'd help them, especially since you had nothing else to do at the time. As Gon's unofficial older sister (considering his aunt basically adopted you), you felt like it was your duty to watch over him, after all!

Sitting up and wincing at the stiffness in your muscles, you took in your surroundings. Your clothes were folded neatly on a table. They were torn up and dirty, but still wearable, and in place of your clothes was a paper-thin hospital gown. Your phone? Not nearly in as good condition. It had been in your pockets, and now lied in a broken and crunched up mess besides your clothes, having been placed in a plastic bag for protection. You doubted it was still repairable, meaning you'd have to buy a new one again. At least you remembered some phone numbers, right? If you could find a payphone, you could call Gon and tell him you're okay.

Behind the table, sat a large window, the curtains drawn. From what you could see, you were definitely in a city, and it wasn't the same architecture as what they had in the game so your best guess was York New, but... Well, something was off. You just couldn't place it.

Immediately, your head jerked to the door, hearing hushed voices behind it, and you tilted your head to the side, growing impatient as the door remained closed. There were people standing right outside your door, and try as you might, you couldn't pick up what they were saying. Were they going to come _in_? You didn't have all day to just lie here, but you also knew that it would only cause more trouble if you just ripped everything off and left.

Finally, as if sensing your ever-growing impatience, the door opened, revealing an odd trio of people. The first was a disapproving nurse, who didn't look very pleased that your rest was being interrupted. The next was somebody who looked to be a police officer of sorts, and the last was a tired and grubby looking man who seemed like he hadn't seen sleep for days.

"Ah, so you're awake. Pardon the intrusion," the policeman apologized, bowing, causing you to nod in return as the grubby man scrutinized you. The nurse had taken to checking everything right away, and you ignored your two visitors for the time being to focus on the nurse's questions as she took your vitals.

"You should be resting more, but, well, Detective Tsukauchi wanted to ask you some questions about what happened and insisted it was important," she fretted, and you gave her a bright smile. 

"I'll be fine, thank you, though!"

Shooting your two visitors one more glance, she patted your cheek before leaving the room. Your voice had come out hoarse, you weren't sure how long you had been out for, but it was only now that you were aware of how dry your throat was. Without missing a beat, you asked the two men if one of them could grab you a drink, and with some grumbling the grubby man left. Moments later, he came back with a can of juice for you, and you didn't hesitate to rip it open and start drinking from it.

It was awkwardly silent, nobody saying anything until you put down the empty can, wiping your mouth on your arm. Finally, the detective guy spoke up, pulling up a chair next to your bed and sitting down in it, a small notepad and pen in his hands.

"I know you're still recovering, but I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. My name is Detective Tsukauchi, and this is the man who found you, Eraserhead. Can you tell me what you remember?"

Eraserhead? That was a weird name, but you _were_ friends with a lady named Biscuit, so you wouldn't comment on it. Instead, you hummed, thinking back. "Well, I was in that game Greed Island, right? You know, the one that only a few copies were in existence. Anyways, the game is suuuuper complicated but, like, you get these spell cards, and there was one I didn't recognize! So I activated it, and next thing you know I'm separated from my friends and falling through the sky! I have no clue how I wound up here of all places, though!"

You didn't see any reason to not tell the truth so you spilled your guts to the detective, who looked somewhat disconcerted at your weird admission. Did he not hear of Greed Island? You wouldn't be too surprised since it wasn't _too_ popular. If that was the case, you were _not_ explaining that all to him, it was way too much to get into! Besides, you weren't entirely sure if you even understood most of that game. You just went with the flow.

"... Right. What's your name, young lady?"

"[Y/n]!"

"And how old are you?"

"16, sir!"

"And where are your parents?"

You faltered, before shrugging. "I don't know, I grew up without them. But I was raised by my friend's Aunt Mito on Whale Island! So I guess she'd be my parent!"

Detective Tsukauchi and Eraserhead shared a look that you couldn't quite decipher, and you finally decided to ask _them_ a question in return. "So where am I? Am I back in York New?"

You waited as Detective Tsukauchi seemed to ponder over his words for a moment, seeming confused at your choice of words. "'York New'..? No, you're currently in Musutafu," he said. Seeing your confused look, he then tacked on, "Japan." As if that would clear it up. You were pretty good with your geography of the known world, and had never in your life heard of a place called Musutafu or Japan, unless they were smaller places located in the United States of Saherta or something like that.

Sensing your confusion, Eraserhead decided to spare you from hurting your brain by asking a question himself. He sounded gruff, and your attention was fully turned towards him. "The nurse said nobody healed you, so how did you heal? When I found you, you were a bloody mess, but now you don't have a scratch on you. Is that your quirk?"

Ah, so your ren _didn't_ save you, but that was pretty interesting that you healed while sleeping. Was your hatsu ability subconsciously activated? It was possible. That answered the first question, but you had no clue where to even start with that second one. What did he mean by quirk? You were at a loss, and so you decided to just be honest. The entire situation was growing weird, and you wanted these two to leave so you could find a payphone and tell Gon that you were alright.

"I have absolutely _no_ idea what you mean by quirk, but I can heal myself." You weren't going to get into nen with strangers who apparently had no clue what it was, and the detective seemed miffed at your short sentence. Not like he didn't believe you, though, but more so in disbelief that you were being honest.

Once again, you were growing impatient. "Is that all, sir? I really need to get back to my friends."

Despite with how rude your words came out, the guy interrogating you was full of patience, and looked once over at Eraserhead before running a hand through his head. If anything, he just looked baffled.

"You're telling the truth, but I'm having a hard time believing it."

You appreciated his trust in you, but were concerned at how trusting he was considering he was a detective. If all policeman were like this, no _wonder_ they had no chance in capturing petty thieves, let alone the Phantom Troupe. Good thing hunters existed, because your faith in the law enforcement was at an absolute zero.

You were unsure on how to really respond, but thankfully he spoke back up again. "I'm sorry we're keeping you, [Y/n]-san, but you appeared out of a black hole in the sky and created a crater in the middle of the city. There's no record of you anywhere in our system, and you have healed completely from some fatal injuries. We're just concerned that you might be a villain."

That was certainly a lot of information for your brain in its current state.

"Uh, what?" The picture of eloquence, you tried to think of how to really approach the man's words. "I'm a hunter, first of all, not a villain. If you don't believe me, my license is probably in my pockets," you said, shaking your head. "I don't know why I'm not showing up, but, well, one of my abilities allows me to heal myself pretty quickly. It probably just activated when I was knocked out."

Neither men reacted when you said the word 'hunter'. No apologies, no shocked looks. If anything, they looked like they had never even _heard_ the term before, and now you were getting nervous. Before, you had been able to brush it off, but something most certainly wasn't right. That 'departure' card had deposited you somewhere very strange, and it was concerning.

"Um, I'm sorry, but you said we're in Musutafu, Japan, right? Where is that? In the Yorbian or Azian continent?"

Both men, once again, seemed stumped at your question, and now concerned, as if you had grown a second head. "Continent? Japan is a part of Asia."

That made _no_ sense. You had never in your life heard of 'Asia', so either these guys were messing with you, or something was really wrong now. Was it possible that you had wound up on a different world? Was that even possible? Were you dead, and this was just some weird purgatory you got stuck in? Was this some sort of fucked up coma? What was going on?!

You were panicking, a step away from hyperventilating as you looked at the two men with scared, widened eyes. You shouldn't be here. _You shouldn't be here! _

Sensing your panic, Detective Tsukauchi placed a hand on your arm in an attempt to comfort you. He didn't look like he knew anymore than you did, but he remained calm. "Take a deep breath. You're fine."

You nodded, and in a few minutes you were calmed back down again. Once you showed that your panicking had past, the detective removed his hand, placing the notepad he had out into his pockets. "[Y/n]-san, can you explain more about where you're from?"

You did. Maybe it was just the anxiety, but you spilled everything, talking about where you grew up with Gon, to the hunter exam, to York New City and the Phantom Troupe. You vaguely mentioned nen, and ended your long-winded explanation with Greed Island and the 'departure' spell card that spit you out here. During your frantic explanation, you had watched the two's faces for any signs of recognition, but they showed none. Eraserhead, for the most part, remained pretty stoic, although he was now scrutinizing you and clearly not believing a word you said, and Detective Tsukauchi seemed completely and utterly baffled. Neither of them had a clue on what you said, and acted like you just said everything in another language.

Eraserhead was the first to speak up. "Listen kid, I don't know what you're trying to do, but-"

"It's true."

Detective Tsukauchi cut Eraserhead off, awe creeping into his voice. He wholeheartedly believed you, which was good, because you were pretty sure you were nowhere in the known world. You had heard about the dark continent from reading history books, but you doubted you were there either. If you were, they'd still at least _recognize_ what you were saying, right?

Eraserhead turned his full attention to Detective Tsukauchi, disbelief showing on his features, but he didn't oppose him. "If what this girl's saying is true, then..."

He trailed off, and both men turned to look at you. How did you respond? Of course what you were saying was true!

Stuck at a weird stalemate, nobody said anything, the only sound heard in the room was the ticking of a clock and beeps coming from one of the many machines hooked up to you. As the silence continued on, both men in thought, you grew more impatient and, even worse, more _worried_. How were you going to get back?

You couldn't stand the silence, and quickly spoke up. "I'm not in the known world, am I?" Your voice came out soft, wavering almost, but you had to keep strong. What would Gon and Killua say if they saw you like this? You could already hear Killua's mean comment and Gon's blunt way of trying to cheer you up. So, taking a deep breath, you summoned all of your courage and looked up at the two who had been running the interrogation. "What does this mean for me?"

Neither seemed to know how to answer, and the detective hesitated before finally answering your question. You had already suspected it, you weren't _stupid_, but hearing it was a whole different story. 

"It's hard to even think this, [Y/n]-san, but... I don't think you're even in your world anymore."

Things just got a lot more complicating.


	3. Make My Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuck in another world, MC has to get her shit together and figure out a game plan. Nezu comes in with a suggestion.

You didn't think that your situation could get any more complicated. If what Eraserhead and Detective Tsukauchi were saying was true, then you really _were_ stranded in another world. Back in your world, that thought would be near impossible - the Dark Continent hasn't even been properly explored yet, so how would you all have been able to visit alternate universes and other worlds? Judging by the two's faces, it seemed to be the same here. This was unheard of, which only signaled bad news for you. If this had never happened before, then how would you know how to get back to your own world?

To put it simple - this was a hot mess.

Despite your injuries having healed for the most part, you were restricted to bed rest as the detective made a call on his cell phone, leaving you alone with Eraserhead as he went outside of the room. The black-haired male looked absolutely exhausted. If he found you at night, and the sun is already up (the digital bedside clock blinking at 07:47), he's probably been up for a while, so it made sense.

Neither of you said nothing as you fiddled with your blankets anxiously. Panic subsiding, you were drawing blanks on what your options could be. You were in an unknown world (to you) with no money, no way to contact your friends, no place to stay, and where you apparently didn't even exist. You had been through some pretty tough situations, but this most certainly took the cake.

A few minutes later of awkward silence, the detective came back in, scratching the back of his neck as he looked over at Eraserhead. "There's somebody else coming, but we have a bit of a problem..."

He didn't need to say the problem, as Eraserhead's face darkened. "The media."

It wasn't a question. He seemed to already know, and you tilted your head in confusion. What did the media have to do with this? You asked as much, wondering how that could be a problem, and Eraserhead let out a long-suffering sigh, putting a hand to his head as if he were fighting off an oncoming migraine.

"When you fell from the sky, you attracted a lot of attention. It's no wonder there are reporters waiting outside of the hospital to get a scoop on what happened and who you are."

You didn't really find a problem with this, honestly. You've had your fair share of attention, so why would reporters scare you? Apparently they were a real nuisance, though, for the two to seem so exhausted at the prospect of dealing with the onslaught of people. You found it kind of funny - Detective Tsukauchi had said that Eraserhead was a hero, so shouldn't he be _used_ to dealing with the media if he's out there saving people and such? You weren't going to question it though, having much bigger problems at the moment.

_Like how I'm going to get out of this stupid hospital._

You _hated_ being cooped up, so being confined to your bed was a literal nightmare! You knew if you tried anything the two men would stop you, and you honestly had no clue on how to gauge their power if nen apparently didn't exist here. What was it they had again? Quirks? Whatever _that_ was, you weren't going to risk it.

Right on time (at least to your bored self) somebody else walked in, a tiny little rat-man wearing a suit and a permanent smile on his face.

_Okay, then._

"Where's All Might?"

Detective Tsukauchi was the first to speak, and the little rat-person-thing laughed, going to sit in the chair. "He got caught up by the press, unfortunately."

You didn't know who All Might was, but the other two adults nodded in understanding, as if it was something common. Maybe he was a popular person?

The rat-person turned to you, still smiling. "Miss [Y/n], correct? I'm Nezu, the principal of U.A. High School. I know you're probably wondering what I am, but I assure you that nobody else is sure either. Detective Tsukauchi filled me in a bit about your current situation. If what you're saying is true, you have no place to stay or go, right?"

Hesitantly, you nodded, a frown tugging downwards at your lips. "And I don't really know how to get back to my, um, world either." It hurt even worse to say that part out loud, but you couldn't lie. That wouldn't help you get back at all, and wouldn't improve your situation. Nezu nodded as if he expected it, and he nodded once, looking certain of his next words.

And boy, did they throw you for a _loop_.

"Well, the school year just started, but until we can get you back to your _world_, I'd like you to consider joining the hero course at our school. If you're there, you will be provided with a place to stay and will have your secret kept safe with the pro-heroes." You mulled over his words, and he continued to speak, seeing the interest on your face. "Did they tell you about quirks?"

You hesitated. Technically it was _mentioned_, but you had no idea on what one was still, and so you shook your head, and Nezu nodded again as if he had expected that response all along. "A quirk is... a super power, of sorts. Detective Tsukauchi said that you had a healing ability - here, that would be called a quirk."

You finally decided to speak up again, cutting him off. There was something personable about Nezu that made you feel more at ease. Maybe it was his matter-of-fact speaking and his way of explaining things to you, or maybe it was the fact that he believed you wholeheartedly and wasn't treating you like a ticking time bomb from a different world. Whatever the reason was, it made you feel more comfortable and relaxed, and so you had no problem explaining to him (however briefly) about your nen and your abilities outside of healing.

"Sort of. I mean, I can heal, but I'm not, like, limited to that." Your voice came out unsure and almost rushed as you tried to think of how to explain nen to somebody who had never heard of it before. "There're five categories of nen, and I fall under the enhancer category. Nen can be used to maybe run faster, or punch harder. I can use mine as a shield to protect me from too much damage, and one of my nen abilities is kind of like a boost? So I can, like, enhance my senses or strength or speed, and have a speedy recovery because of that. So it's not just healing."

You _really_ sucked at explaining things.

Thankfully, it seemed Nezu understood - or at least had an idea of what nen could be, because he nodded again, glancing over at the two. "This is quite the predicament you're in. I understand that it might be overwhelming here, Miss [Y/n], but I do believe it's your best interest for you to stay at U.A. under the eyes of heroes for the time being."

Damn, this talking rat (no offense to Nezu, as he had been nothing but kind to you) talked better than you. However, you couldn't help but catch the tone in his voice, signalling there might be something more, or maybe it was his wording. _Under the eyes of pro-heroes._ While it was under the guise to keep you safe, you felt like they might also find you suspicious still. It sucked to be treated like a criminal of sorts, but at the same time...

_I can't say I really blame them,_ you mused. Besides, despite the nice words and offers, you had a feeling this wasn't really a choice you could make, and so you nodded, determination setting across your face. Don't get it wrong - you were still afraid. Afraid that you wouldn't ever see your friends or home world again, afraid you were stranded for good, but you couldn't let that deter you. You were 16 years old now! No longer a child, which meant that you needed to suck it up and play with the cards you have been dealt. This could be a fun experience anyways, right?

"I'll do it, Mr. Nezu. Sign me up for that hero course!"

Over the next few hours, the group had all discussed what was going to happen. For now, for your "protection" (and also so they could probably keep you under surveillance), you would be staying at a pro-hero's house - specifically, the one who found you. Eraserhead wasn't too keen on taking somebody under his wing, but had begrudgingly accepted. His real name was actually Shouta Aizawa, although he didn't seem to appreciate you calling him Shouta, making you switch to Aizawa immediately.

This world was so weird. Why did people insist on going by last names here?

Once your living situation was determined, you had to make up paperwork for your "transfer" to U.A. It was extremely boring, and as Aizawa had left to go prepare for the day's class, you found yourself wanting to go with him, not wanting to do anything with paperwork. All Might had never appeared, and you assumed he had been taken away by the rabid reporters.

Rest in peace, All Might.

"You've never been to school?!"

Being brought back to reality, you stared at the detective, unperturbed by his outburst. Even Nezu seemed a bit surprised, tilting his head to the side to wait for your explanation on your lack of education.

Flushing, you quickly explained it wasn't a big problem in your world. "I mean, Aunt Mito taught Gon and I partially, but we left to go take the hunter exam and find Gon's dad so we never enrolled in actual school," you told them. It didn't mean you were stupid! You just had different strengths. Growing up partially in the wild and home-schooled taught you things that no regular school could ever teach you. You had _survival skills_, which was way more important than learning about the history of your world or finding the area to weird shapes.

Nezu and Detective Tsukauchi did not share your sentiment, apparently, and it only grew worse as you took a peek at what Nezu was writing and scrunched up your nose in confusion.

"What the hell are you writing?"

You didn't mean to blurt it out so rudely, and Detective Tsukauchi looked about ready to have an aneurysm; from your words or tone, you weren't sure. Probably both.

Taking a deep breath before exhaling, the detective asked, "Can you not read?"

Wait, _what?_

You were unimpressed, crossing your arms the best you could what with the IV still sticking into one of them. "Of course I can read! I assumed since we speak the same language, it would be written the same, but... I don't recognize any of those characters at all."

Nezu nodded again. He didn't seem too disturbed by your lack of knowledge when it came to reading and writing this language. "We'll have to put you in extra classes, but I know you'll be able to keep up," he reassured you with confidence, and while you weren't entirely sure you _shared_ his confidence you nodded anyways. Man, if you were going to be forced to learn 24/7, you wouldn't have agreed to going to this guy's school right away...

Eventually, your paperwork for "transferring" was done. After some consideration, you had decided on your "quirk". It kind of sucked - quirks were pretty limited here, meaning you could only use your nen if it fit under the pretense of your quirk. Unfortunately, this meant you could practice that cool emitter ability you had been working on on Greed Island, because it wouldn't make sense under a your quirk description (at least, not around others - you planned on practicing it by yourself, to be honest). The rules and laws of this world were lame as fuck.

By the time you all had finished, it was late afternoon, and you sighed, rolling your shoulders back. "So I can go now, right? I want outta this dreary place!"

You were raring to go! The soreness now gone, you wanted nothing more than to explore the new world around you, but just as you had said that, the nurse from earlier came in, shaking her head at you.

"We want to keep you here for another day before turning you loose to the world to make sure there aren't any repercussions you're facing. You took a pretty nasty fall, miss."

Nezu and the detective didn't bother to argue, instead nodding in understanding. "I agree, Miss [Y/n]. You should use this time to get some rest so you can get out tomorrow and start coming to U.A."

With that said, Nezu stood up, bowing politely before leaving, Detective Tsukauchi lingering behind to give you his information in case you had any problems before leaving as well before you could point out your cell phone was smashed and that you didn't really have a way to get a hold of him. Not that it mattered - you doubted HunterX was a cell service here, anyways.

After the nurse had checked your vitals and asked you the stereotypical questions of '_how are you feeling?_' and '_anything concerning?_', she had left to, leaving you alone to deal with your thoughts and to mull over everything that had happened within the past 24 hours.

_Gon, Killua, Bisky... I hope you three are doing well, because I doubt I'm gonna be back anytime soon._


	4. U.A. Transfer Paperwork

**Name:** Freecs [Y/n]

**Age: **16

**DOB: **xx/xx/xxxx

**Birthplace: **Umaji, Shikoku, Japan

**Quirk Type: **Transformation

**Registered Quirk: **Boost; Allows to transform and distribute stamina and strength to boost muscle strength, speed, regeneration, and other features. Can also use stamina to conjure a barrier - a "shield" of sorts - to protect from attacks. Can be used on the user and, in some cases, others around them.

**Previous School:** Home-schooled

**Previous Grades:** N/A

**Emergency Contact Information:** Aizawa Shouta (0x-xxxx-xxxx), current guardian

**Approved By:** Nezu, Principal of U.A. High School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since MC was raised on whale island away from normal civilization for so long, i did a lot of research and chose a pretty rural town on an equally as rural island in japan! that way when she's like "well, i'm home-schooled from shikoku" people are like "oh damn lol makes sense".
> 
> next chapter: MC goes to school and realizes she's in way over her mcfucking head LOL


	5. Odd Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC goes to school and realizes she may not be cut out for this modern living.

"Ya know, I've never been to school before, so I'm excited! Are we gonna fight today? When can I fight? I wanna fight!"

Brimming with excitement, you were chirpy and talking at a rate faster than Aizawa could currently handle at this time in the morning as you looked in a floor length mirror, fiddling with your new school uniform. The skirt was pretty short, you weren't entirely certain it was practical for fighting in, and your tie was a bit sloppy, but you thought it was perfect. It was so cute!

Having been discharged from the hospital earlier in the morning, Aizawa had appeared to pick you up, the two of you taking a back exit to leave the hospital since the threat of nosy reporters still loomed over you. You were now in his small, one-bedroom apartment. It was messy and cramped - it wasn't that Aizawa was a slob or anything, you just figured he was too busy and tired to really care about the place. Maybe after school today, you could clean it up for him!

"You're too noisy. Let's go."

You had learned that Aizawa wasn't the most personable person, tending to speak brashly and not very often, but you let it roll right off you. Despite his attitude, you were extremely thankful, after all, that he had agreed to house you until a more permanent situation could be figured out. 

Nodding, you picked up the plain school bag that you had been given. In it was standard school stuff you assumed, as well as the most important thing - a new cell phone. Aizawa had took it upon himself to get you a new phone just in case anything happened. You had immediately put in the detective's phone number upon receiving it, and saw there were already a few other numbers for "emergency use only" (such as Aizawa's, Nezu's, and the mysterious All Might's whom you _still_ haven't met yet). The phone was much more sleek and fancy looking than your previous one. And it had an interactive screen that reacted to touch! The technology here was _amazing_, everything was so futuristic, but at the same time it overwhelmed you.

You sort of wished you had a brief period of time to adjust before being thrust into a new place again.

Following Aizawa, you were aware of just how different you two were. You walked with pep in your step, almost skipping with excitement as you memorized the route to your school. It may have been early morning, but you were all smiles and optimism. Aizawa, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He didn't slouch really, but he looked tired and as if he was ready to throw himself into the void. It was honestly kind of funny.

Approaching the school, your excitement only grew. It was _humongous!_ You couldn't help but gawk, pausing in your steps for a moment to just take it all in. Unfortunately, it was enough time to lose Aizawa in the crowd of people by the gate. Were those reporters?

Shoving through and apologizing to anybody whose feet you stepped on, you were ambushed by questions as you fumbled with the key card you were given. How was it supposed to work again?

"Are you one of All Might's students?"

"What's it like being taught by the Symbol of Peace?"

"Do you have any stories about All Might?"

Ignoring the onslaught of questions, you huffed in irritation as the key card slipped from your fingers, the lanyard dangling uselessly around your neck as you grabbed it again. Did you just wave it? Where was it supposed to go? How the hell were you supposed to get _in_?

"Wait a minute, I recognize you! You're the girl who fell from the sky!"

This caught your attention as your head snapped up, [e/c] eyes zeroing in on the plain-looking reporter who thrust his microphone at you. At his revelation, they started to bombard you with more questions, flustering you as all attention had zeroed in on you. Oh no. You had _no_ idea how to deal with this situation, and you gripped the key card tightly, your knuckles turning white from the pressure. Was it too late to turn around and run back to Aizawa's apartment? Clearly this was way too soon for you!

"Get out of my fucking way!"

_Damn_. Head swiveling around to locate the vulgar voice, you watched as a blond around your age approached the gate, brusquely shoving reporters to the side as they continued to bombard with their questions. He didn't care though, paying them no mind as he pulled out his own key card, ignoring you completely as he opened the gate.

You were quick to slip through the gate right behind him, fearing that it might close before you could get through. Because of this, you bumped into his back as the gate closed behind you two, and you laughed lightly.

"I'm so-"

He cut you off, whirling around and shooting a glare that would terrify any normal person. "Watch where you're going, you damn extra!"

_D a m n._ While a bit surprised at his rude words, you didn't back away like he had clearly expected you to. It was as if somebody took all of Killua's rude personality traits and multiplied them by 100. Thankfully, you knew how to deal with people like this.

Giving the blond what you hoped was your brightest and most dazzling smile, you responded, "Bitch, I'm not an extra, I'm the main character here." Honestly, you were pretty proud of the witty quip that left your mouth, but the other guy? Not so much. If anything, he looked like he was going to truly kill you, and you could feel yourself start to get pumped up. Oh, this was going to be _fun_ to tease him, and you briefly wondered if the two of you would be in the same class.

"_What_ was that you stupid - "

You had better things to do, though, and easily skirted around him, waving a hand dismissively as you didn't bother to spare him another glance. You needed to find Aizawa. You knew you were in class 1-A, but the campus seemed to sprawl on for miles, and the large building in the center did nothing to ease your mind. Hopefully the classroom was close by, right?

Hearing angry shouts behind you from the blond, you half-expected him to run after you and try to fight you, but he must have decided that you just weren't important enough, because soon the insults and shouts had died off. If you saw him later, you'd give him more hell, but for now? You had bigger worries.

Glancing around, you figured your best bet would be to ask for help. Students milled about the campus with their friends, and your eyes caught a few that stood out. You had seen some weird people back in your world - hell, one was a giant green _bean_ \- but it still threw you for a loop to see how some people looked. It was definitely a normality in this world, too, it seemed. You figured it was natural. Aizawa had explained that some quirks changed people's appearances (they were called heteromorphic or whatever), and so he had warned you that you might see some interesting-looking people and to not be rude and stare at them.

Eventually, your eyes zeroed in on one girl, whose movements seemed sporadic as she tried to get other people's attention. _I could ask for her help?_

You were confident in your approach to her, approaching from behind as you called out to her. "Excuse me, uh, where's class 1-A? For the hero course?"

She whirled around, golden eyes zeroing in on you immediately. _Wait a minute, are her pupils _cross-hairs_? That's cool as fuck!_

Nodding, you sighed in relief, and she grabbed your arm with a tight grip. "You'll do nicely!"

_Huh?_

Stumbling after her, you kept up with her. What did she exactly mean by that? You asked as much, not really one to just "wait things out". "Wait, what do you mean? Are you taking me to my class?"

Her response was dismissive, and you could easily tell that she wasn't really paying too much attention to you. "Yeah, I just need you to test something out for me first."

You decided to leave it there. As much as you were honestly dying to know what the hell she was talking about, you had a feeling she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really answer any of your questions, so you just impatiently followed, curiosity eating away at you. What exactly did she want you to test?

Coming to an industrial-looking door, she didn't hesitate to waltz in with you right behind her. There was a strange looking man sitting at a desk, and he glanced over to the two of you. The way his body tensed, you had a feeling he was grimacing behind that strange mask/helmet of his.

"Hatsume-san, what are you doing? And who's this?"

"I'm [Y/n] - er, Freecs [Y/n]!" You replied as the pink-haired girl, apparently Hatsume, let go of your wrist. She turned towards the man with sparkling eyes as she clasped her hands in front of her. 

"I just need to make an adjustment on one of my babies and this girl offered to help me out! Nothing bad will happen!"

Well, you didn't _offer_ so much as get dragged here so you could get directions, but you chose not to say that out loud. She seemed so happy, and besides, you couldn't deny that you were curious to see what exactly she was talking about! The man, on the other hand, didn't seem to share your excitement. Instead, you felt like he was pretty skeptical, and it was silent before he let out a sigh and nodded at Hatsume's words.

"It's only the start of the school year, but you've been working with every free moment you're given. Just don't have a repeat of yesterday." At his confirmation she had quickly went off, rummaging through what looked to be a pile of junk. She didn't make any promises. What happened yesterday that he didn't want a repeat of...?

About to ask, you didn't have time as she let out an excited "aha!", and you just stood there somewhat awkwardly, looking around in curiosity as you waited for her to finish doing what she was doing. You kind of hoped this would be quick, as you were starting to get nervous about Aizawa possibly killing you for being late to class. Finally, she turned towards you, a pair of clunky boots in her hands. She thrust them towards you. "These are my latest babies, aren't they super cute? They're the cutest! Now put them on!"

She was straight to the point, and you couldn't really deny her demand so you gingerly took them from her. You still weren't used to this world's technology, and these obviously did something, so you put them on, excited to see what they would do. "These look so futuristic and cool!"

Hatsume appreciated your enthusiasm, nodding vehemently in agreement with your words. "Yes, yes! My babies will surely be an invention to change the world!" She declared, picking up a remote. "Yesterday they exploded, so let's see how they work today!"

You nodded, excited at first before her words actually hit you. "Wait... exploded?"

You got no response as she pressed the button. You could feel the boots whir to life, and your stomach clenched in a burst of anxiety. _Oh god, I'm gonna lose my feet, aren't I?_

Thankfully, they didn't explode, and you could feel yourself slowly lift up. Holy _shit_, were you floating?

For a moment, it was actually really cool. You had never seen something like this before, and to be able to experience it firsthand was _amazing_. Seriously, the technology here was incredible! Hatsume seemed just as excited that you were still in once piece, and she started to write something down on a torn piece of paper. The excitement didn't last long, though.

"Um, these are starting to feel really hot."

Indeed, it felt like your feet were overheating, and despite the soles being padded, the overheating feeling quickly started to turn into a burning sensation. Again, you were hit with the thought that you were going to lose your feet. Was this the end of the line?

Hatsume didn't seem very concerned that you were in pain, and instead calmly pressed the button on the remote again, which instantly zapped her, making her drop the remote.

"Whoops!"

Unfortunately, whatever had made the remote malfunction, also made her 'babies' malfunction as the whirring picked up. You only had a split second to envelop your entire body with ren before you shot upwards and into the ceiling before the whirring stopped, and you dropped back onto the floor. Despite using ren to protect yourself, shock still traveled through your body at the impact, and you groaned. _Damn those boots have some serious power...!_

The shirtless guy had shot up, clearly more concerned for your well-being than Hatsume, and you sat up, shooting him a thumbs up.

"I'm okay!"

"Are my babies okay?!"

Helping you take the boots off, Hatsume started to inspect the boots, ignoring you completely as you stood up and rubbed the back of your aching neck, slipping on your regular shoes. That honestly didn't end as badly as you expected, and despite the sour ending, for a moment you were floating off the ground with _technology_. 

The man didn't share your thoughts, going to lecture Hatsume immediately. "I know the year just started, but you should know enough to have safeguards in place! If you injured another student, the school - "

You cut him off. It wasn't on purpose, but you couldn't stay quiet as you went over to Hatsume, who was still inspecting her boots out of worry. "That was awesome! I was _floating_! Off the ground! I didn't even think that would ever be possible!"

This caught her attention, and she turned towards you, eyes sparkling as she leaned forwards, face inches away from yours. "Yes! It worked today! With some adjustments, these babies will be perfect!" You agreed with her, nodding enthusiastically as she continued to speak. "I'll work on them right now so you can try them again!"

Even though the repercussions could be dangerous, you figured you could just use your nen to protect yourself from any backfires, so you nodded. "Yeah, yeah! I'll try it again!"

"Not today." The man had interjected, his voice stern and final, leaving no room for arguments. "You've done enough damage and need to head to class."

Hatsume seemed undeterred, and you wondered if she ever got upset. Even though her boots had ultimately failed, she seemed excited and even more determined. Instead, she backed away from you and nodded, a cheery smile still on her face. "Then after school! Got it!"

You had a feeling that's not what the man meant, but before he could protest Hatsume was leaving the room, and you quickly followed her out, waving goodbye to him.

"Um, Hatsume? Can you show me where class 1-A is now..?"

She had clearly forgotten, and she nodded, not saying anything, so you spoke up again. "And also, I know they wound up malfunctioning, but those boots were really cool! Did you make them yourself?"

This got her attention as she turned towards you, the familiar gleam of excitement visible in her eyes. "Yes, yes! I make all of my babies!" You were starting to realize that babies probably meant "inventions", and seeing her get excited about them made you more excited as well as you offered to help her whenever.

"That's awesome! If you ever need another test subject, let me know! I want to help!"

Hatsume grinned at you, her walking slowing slightly. You figured that if it was the start of the school year, she hadn't found many test subjects yet - and if whatever happened yesterday was an indicator, you doubted many people were currently lining up. "I like you," her words were blunt and matter-of-fact, "who are you?"

_Did she not pay attention when I introduced myself earlier..?_

"Freecs [Y/n]! But we're friends now, right? So call me [Y/n]!"

"Hatsume Mei, my babies will become the most famous inventions ever!"

You had no doubt about that and instead grinned in response. Mei, huh? You had a feeling that you two were going to be great friends.


	6. Auras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something fishy goes down on MC's lunch break.

You and Mei chatted as she showed you to what was class 1-A. And by chatted, that meant that Mei talked the entire time about her ideas and how she could improve her unnamed boot invention. You didn't understand a lot of what she was talking about, but her enthusiasm was contagious, and you found yourself nodding along.

"This is it! I'll see you after school to test out more of my babies!"

Earlier, you had insisted that you and Mei exchange phone numbers, and you nodded along, matching her smile. "Yeah, yeah! Are you coming in?"

She shook her head. "I'm in the support class, 1-H! See you later!"

With that, she was skipping off before you could give a proper goodbye, and you deflated a bit. Man, you really were hoping you had at least one friend in this class, but it looks like you'd just have to wait to see her again.

Now, you weren't a very anxious person. Much like your friend who you grew up with as practically a little brother, you were pretty easy-going and happy. Not exactly "go-with-the-flow" material, but you certainly didn't worry about the little things. This, however, made you nervous, and you weren't sure why. This was an opportunity to make new friends and meet new people! Besides, you knew Aizawa, so it's not like _everybody_ was a complete stranger in here.

So why were you hesitating?

As if sensing your presence, the large door had opened, revealing the one person you wanted to see.

"You're late."

_As if that's my fault... you left me behind!_

You pouted at him, voicing your thoughts exactly, and he sighed, unamused with your excuse, before telling you to wait a moment as he closed the door on you. Through the door, you could hear him address the class.

"First things first, we have a new transfer student who will be joining you all today. Freecs, come in."

He sounded so monotone and dead inside, not to mention being called by your last name was _so_ weird. You decidedly did not like it.

Opening the door, all eyes were on you as you stood in front of the class. Most reactions you saw were pleasantly shocked as everybody exclaimed, and you smiled happily, waving a hand. "Uh, hi! I'm Freecs [Y/n], but please call me [Y/n]! It's weird being called by my last name! I look forward to fighting with you all!"

You didn't recognize any faces as you looked over everybody. Not at first, anyways, before your gaze snapped back towards a particularly seething blond. Oh. _Him_. You totally forgot about him, so wrapped up in Mei's antics!

Cheerfully, you waved at him, only provoking him further. "Ah, it's the angry extra guy! Hi again!"

Much like you intended, your comment set him off as he stood up, slamming both hands on his desk and making the others around him jolt in their seats. "What did you say you damned - "

"Bakugou, _sit down_. Freecs, there's an empty seat in the back of the class, so you'll have to sit there."

The angry blond sat down angrily, red eyes attempting to pierce through your very soul as you happily skipped to the back of the class. Everybody else looked shocked at the carefree attitude that you had just displayed towards their violent classmate, but you paid no mind as you sat behind a girl with a black ponytail.

You think that went swimmingly.

Undisturbed with Bakugou's outburst, Aizawa continued on. "As for today, we'll be doing something important." Everybody seemed to hold their breaths, and you leaned forwards in excitement.

_Fight, fight, fight! I wanna fight!!!_

"You need to pick a class president."

_That's unnecessarily boring..._

Everybody else shouted in surprise as you slumped. Why would you care about class president? What was the _point_ in there being a class president?

As everybody was shouting to be picked, one of your classmates stood up, effectively grabbing everybody's attention. "We should put it up to a vote!"

"I don't care what you do, just hurry it up."

_Way to show your enthusiasm as a teacher,_ you thought sarcastically as some people questioned if that was truly the best way to decide. Despite some light protesting, it was decided, and you eventually found yourself glowering down at the blank piece of paper before you, as if it was the reason for every problem you had. You weren't actually mad at anything, just unsure on what to do.

_I don't know anybody's names, yet..._

Not to mention you couldn't write however everybody else was writing, so you folded your paper and kept it blank as you turned it in to the makeshift voting box at the front. Eventually, all votes were counted for, and you looked at the results with a blank stare. You had _no_ clue what any of that said, but trusted it would be alright. At the very least, you now knew the name of the two who were elected for the council - the class president was some timid looking kid name Izuku Midoriya, and the girl in front of you was elected vice-president. Her name was Momo Yaoyorozu. The rest? You were unsure.

Now that that was settled, regular classes began, and you could feel yourself getting bored. You weren't entirely sure what to expect considering you had never been in school, and all of this sitting still was causing you to get restless - not to mention you had no clue what was written on the board. The only class you felt decent at was English, and that's because you recognized that written language from your world. You weren't proficient by any means, but at least you _recognized_ it. Despite numbers being the same, math was certainly not your strong suit. 

By the time lunch came around, you felt inexplicably exhausted, your brain having overheated a while ago. Seeing everybody start to get up, you stretched your arms above you, sighing in contentment as they popped. Before you could stand up yourself, somebody approached your desk.

"[Y/n], right?"

Standing over you was one of your classmates, with bubblegum-pink skin that uncomfortably reminded you of a certain person's nen ability. Maybe it's best to _not_ think about that creep right now.

Nodding at her words, she spoke up quickly. "I'm Aishido Mina! Since we're using first names though, call me Mina!"

A couple of others had gathered around your desk at the commotion, namely one who was invisible and a frog-like girl as they introduced themselves as Tsuyu and Toru. They all seemed friendly, but Mina gave you an especially familiar feeling of warmth that made you smile at the three. She was so happy and energetic-seeming that it almost hurt, but more importantly, her welcoming attitude reminded you a lot of Gon. It was... refreshing.

Standing up, you were about to ask if they all wanted to grab lunch with you, but unfortunately, Aizawa stepped in.

"Freecs."

Looking up at your teacher and guardian, you tilted your head to the side. How was Aizawa a teacher? He looked so tired and like he wanted to be literally _anywhere_ but in this classroom right now.

"You need to go down to the principal's office to discuss your extra lessons," he said, before disappearing to god knows where. He couldn't even _show_ you down to the office?

"Extra lessons?"

Glancing over at Mina, who seemed insanely curious, you let out a heartbroken sigh. There went eating lunch with friends today, but it was for the better - if you didn't learn the written language of this world soon, you were going to be so screwed, and there was no way you'd be able to deal with school.

Not that you planned on telling them about your dilemma. Instead, you quickly said, "I'm not from around here, so Mr. Principal is setting me up with extra, ah, lessons to get me settled in! Yeah!"

They clearly didn't buy it, and you found yourself rushing out of the classroom and down the hall to avoid any other questions about your lack of knowledge. Of course, your hastiness also meant that you didn't have time to ask a classmate for directions on how to get to the office, and you soon found yourself in an almost empty hallway with absolutely no clue on where you should start heading to get to Nezu's office. Clearly, you didn't really think this through.

You had ran for quite a bit, and you found yourself floundering a bit, trying to figure out what exactly you should do, when a voice broke you out of your thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

You turned around to see a guy and a girl who were taller than you - the girl had lavender hair and a sweet smile on her face, and the boy had black hair and extremely cute pointy ears that you were lowkey jealous of. He was like one of those elf NPCs from Greed Island!

"Um, yes! I need to get to Mr. Principal's office," you explained. It was the girl whom had spoken up, and she gave you a kind smile, nodding once.

The boy, on the other hand, seemed to aggressively avoid eye contact with you, choosing not to say anything. You figured he was just shy. "We can show you, it's this way. Why are you heading to Mr. Principal's office? Are you in trouble?" Her voice was sweet, and you knew right away her questions were in earnest. Maybe she was just a curious individual, and you couldn't fault her for that!

Following her, with the black-haired teen lagging behind, you shook your head once. "Not in trouble! I just need help with tutoring, so he's setting that up for me. I'm not from around here."

You had hoped that would have sated her curiosity, but it didn't as she started to ask more questions like "where are you from?" and "school just started, why do you need tutors?". You tried to answer them optimistically to the best of your ability without giving away any confidential information, but you were thankful by the time you had reached the office. While normally you were upbeat and exuberant - and maybe, you could admit, just a _bit_ chaotic and hyper - today had been overwhelming and exhausting. Was school always like this?!

Waving her and her friend goodbye, you knocked on the door once.

_Aw, I forgot to get her name..._

Nezu had opened the door right away, giving you another kind smile as he held the door open to let you in, and without saying anything you entered the office, exhaustion written all over your face. You didn't hesitate to sit down across from him.

Before he could speak, you spoke up first. "I don't think this school-thing is working for me."

Nezu was, understandably, concerned. "It's only the first half of your first day. Are you not fitting in?"

Shaking your head, you finally let the carefree facade slip a bit. In your defense, it _was_ a lot to take in. Less than a week ago, you had been living your normal life with a kid who was like a brother to you and his friend. Now you were in an entirely different world with nobody you knew and no way (that was known) to get back. It was an adventure, and you tried to think of it as a fun experience, but the truth was... You felt lonely. Scared. Frightened. Yeah, you were a hunter, but you were still a teen, so you were validated to feel like this... right? You weren't even sure.

You didn't realize you were crying until you felt a tear run into the corner of your mouth, the salty taste shocking you as you raised your hands up to your eyes and wiped at them. Nezu said nothing, instead pushing a tissue box over to you. You didn't hesitate to take a tissue to wipe at your eyes, internally calming yourself. You felt lonely, but you _weren't_ alone. You had Aizawa, and Nezu, and even that detective guy! Not to mention Mei and Mina and the other friends you recently made.

"I'm sorry," you apologized hoarsely, sniffling. "It's just... It's overwhelming. I can't even read or write the same language as you guys. My entire identity has to be kept a secret, and I have to constantly worry about slipping up and lying to my friends, and I can't _stand_ sitting still all day and I just - " you hiccuped, interrupting your rambling and messy words, and you violently wiped at your eyes again to ensure no more tears escaped. The principal across from you gave you a look of pity, and you could tell the gears were turning sharply behind his brain. You felt bad. Him and Aizawa were doing _so_ much for you. Was it ungrateful to not want to be here?

Finally, Nezu spoke, his voice calm. "Maybe we should have waited for you to get accustomed to this world before enrolling you. I might have been a bit too hasty in getting you under U.A.'s wing."

You shook your head again at his words. "No. Sitting around doing nothing would make it worse. It sucks, and it's hard, but I have to do this." Besides, if Leorio could go to _medical_ school which was notoriously hard, you could handle regular high school, right?

Slowly, your mood started to change as that thought intruded in your mind. It _would_ be hard, but you had to get through this. Where was that drive you had when becoming a hunter? This was no different! To become a hero in this world, you had to get past this. Sure, you might not be here long enough to get it done, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it your 100% all!

Nezu didn't seem entirely convinced, but wasn't going to argue with you about your education either if you were willing to still try. "If you're determined to stay, you'll need to take extra lessons before and after school. I have somebody in mind, an older student who is willing to help you out, but you'll have to study twice - "

He was cut off, but it wasn't by you. Interrupting the principal was a loud, blaring siren, and you jumped at the loud noise, putting your hands over your ears. What the hell was that?! Nezu glanced at his computer, sighing at what he apparently saw on the monitor before getting up. Even standing up, with you sitting down, he was still shorter by a foot.

"What's going on?" You asked hesitantly, removing your hands from your ears. The noise was almost unbearable, and you winced. Was there a fire? Was it a fire alarm? Before Nezu could say anything, an automated voice came over the intercom system, overriding the sound of the alarm (although not by much).

"_There has been a level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors promptly._"

Although you couldn't hear it over the ear piercing ringing, you saw Nezu sigh. "Somehow, the reporters got in. Stay in here, Miss [Y/n], while I go help the other teachers deal with this."

You nodded in agreement, and as you watched Nezu leave, you swore you heard him mutter, "I hope the students aren't panicking too bad..."

With that, the door shut, leaving you in the office, stuck with the irritating noise. You weren't really sure what to do. You guess you could dick around on your phone, but you honestly weren't a fan of the new technology you now had in your possession. You didn't want to leave the office though!

"I guess I could practice my en..."

Getting out of your chair to sit cross-legged on the floor, you tried to block out the blaring alarm as you closed your eyes, immediately activating your en to try and stretch the radius. You could only go out out about 30 meters from yourself at the moment, and you tried your best to push it out further. Within the radius, you could feel the movements of everybody, and you were reminded of how _different_ this world was.

Much like your home world, everybody had an aura. After all, it was the life force of people, so that wasn't surprising, but it was _different_ at the same time. Maybe it had something to do with quirks here, or possibly just it being a different dimension, but you could tell everybody was different from the way their aura was... shaped, you guess? Even you had a hard time distinguishing it. You just knew it was different, but you just weren't sure how to describe it.

From what you could tell, everybody was running around. The floors below you were filled with panicked movements, and you gritted your teeth as you kept your nen up, a bead of sweat running down your forehead.

_Can't give up, gotta keep going, can't give up, gotta keep going_.

You chanted this in your head like a mantra, and just as you were starting to slip, you felt a peculiarity in your little circle of en. Contradicting the panicked movements of everybody else, there were calm movements heading to your position. They were brisk, but with a purpose. Was it Nezu?

Before you could stop your en, you picked up another movement, just on the outside of your radius from the opposite direction of the calm person, causing you to jolt.

You let go in an instant, standing up and ripping the door open, panting slightly from the amount of energy you had been exerting as you tore down the halls towards that second presence.

There was no doubt about that presence you just detected.

_There's no denying it... that was another nen user..!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> usually i have a lil' theme when naming chapters for fics, and this one is following the hxh/bnha ost names themes lol, so i guess keep an eye out for those easter eggs?


	7. Rebellious Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC meets up with a familiar face to tutor.

****School shoes pounding on the smooth flooring, you ran down the hallway with a purpose, eyes frantically searching. You weren't experienced enough yet to use en while moving, but you had a feeling you would recognize the nen user upon sight. It wasn't that you were intuitive, because you weren't, but this presence felt familiar in a way that made your heart rate pick up.

Turning the corner, you nearly bumped into somebody, quickly side stepping. They were wearing a black hoodie that covered their face so you couldn't tell who it was. Not Nezu, but you were certain they were the first person you detected, the calm person from before. Definitely not the nen user, though. They were probably just another teacher, and you didn't bother to give them a second glance or so much as a muttered 'sorry' before you were running again.

The implications of another nen user being here didn't go past you. There were two options - one, nen _was_ accessible to people here, and just not wildly acknowledged. It was possible, with there being quirks, that some people could develop nen and pass it off as a quirk, but you felt like it would still _feel_ different.

The other option? Somebody else from your world was here. You desperately hoped for the latter, as if somebody else from your world was here, that meant there could be a solid way to travel between the two worlds. It was a massive clue to help you get home!

Skidding to a stop, you scanned the empty halls before closing your eyes again, a hand up to your chest to try and calm yourself as you focused again. It was hard - you were running low on energy, and using en took a hell of a lot out of you, but your determination and adrenaline won out over the tiredness you were feeling as your en slowly extended again. It was still there, heading towards the edge of your radius and away from you now. A floor below you, and heading towards what you thought was the school entrance in slow, calculated movements.

Could this person sense you?

Letting it go, you took a moment to catch your breath, wiping at your forehead, before taking off again. You skipped the steps two at a time, nearly slipping at the end but not caring as you attempted to catch up to the person.

_Come _on_ [Y/n], you can't let this person get away!_

Soon enough you were near the entrance, pushing violently through the hoards of students who were attempting to leave. The alarm had stopped, but you hadn't noticed the lack of noise through the yelling of everybody.

Searching through these people would be like a needle in a haystack, and if you stopped to try and extend your en again, you would more likely than not be trampled to death by panicked teenagers. You needed to get through the crowd, and quickly.

Shoving everybody out of your way without any regards, you eventually made it outside and quickly broke off from the others, once again scanning the area. You were on your last leg of energy, but you figured you had enough for one more extension of en, and you squeezed your eyes shut, extending it. You could barely get up to 15 meters this time, but it was enough as you felt the familiar aura move towards the gate before disappearing all together.

"No!"

You hadn't realized you shouted out loud as your eyes snapped open. Disregarding the looks you got from some nearby students, you bolted towards the front gate. Or at least, where the gate _was_.

When you got there, besides some teachers and the reporters being ushered out, there wasn't anybody, and you could feel your heart sink with disappointment. You didn't have enough energy to try using en again, and it was clear that nobody here was a nen user. The gate, on the other hand, sat in a pile of ash, and you only eyed it for a moment before your shoulders had slumped.

You were so _close_! It was infuriating and disappointing, not to mention you felt like you had almost been played. The entire time, the presence had stayed just outside of your radius, as if it was leading you to something...

...Or away. You hadn't realized it, but you had left Nezu's office, where you had been instructed to stay. What if the presence was trying to lead you away from the school? You didn't know why it would do that, but you also weren't going to figure anything out for now with your aura and stamina almost completely depleted.

You were frustrated to the point of tears, and didn't realize somebody had approached you until a familiar paw was placed on your arm and you looked down to see Nezu. A couple other teachers looked over at you as well, including Aizawa and Present Mic (who was your English teacher).

"Why are you out here, Miss [Y/n]?"

Nezu's voice wasn't accusatory, just curious, and you pursed your lips, desperate to keep your tears in. You couldn't tell Nezu and Aizawa about the presence you had sensed. At least, not outright considering there were others within earshot. Struggling to find the right words, exhaustion rolling over you in a big wave, you tried to think of a vague way to explain,

"I... Somebody like _me_ was here. I wanted to find them," you said, [e/c] eyes meeting your current guardian's. Aizawa and Nezu exchanged looks of understanding, before Nezu turned back to you.

"We'll keep an eye out, but why don't you head back to class with Aizawa-sensei?"

You didn't want to go. You wanted to search with Nezu, to figure this out, but you had a feeling that whoever was here was long gone. Sighing in resignation, you nodded. You were much too tired to argue, anyways.

Following Aizawa back, neither of you attempted conversation as you head back to class 1-A, only one thought clouding your mind.

Who had you sensed?

* * *

The rest of the day went by painstakingly slow. Having missed lunch, you were distracted partially by the day's earlier find and partially by your growling stomach.

Once everybody had convened back in 1-A, having calmed down from the lunchtime fiasco, class president was given over to the glasses guy (Tenya Iida, you learned his name was) by Izuku. After that, class resumed as normal, but you found yourself not paying attention to any of that.

By the end of the day, you were ready to go home, but knew you were going to be stuck for the next hour doing extra lessons. It couldn't be helped, you had a lot to catch up on, but it didn't change the fact that you wanted nothing more than to go home and eat a gigantic dinner.

"Hey, [Y/n], how did you get into U.A. if you need extra lessons?"

Mina and Toru had been kind enough to walk you to the designated classroom you were supposed to be tutored in (two guys offered too, one with hair that reminded you of grapes and the other blond with a black streak in it, but Mina had loudly declared "no boys!" before dragging you off), most likely to get more answers from you, and you shrugged, smiling sheepishly at the two girls. "I struggle in some areas, uh, academically. So I need the extra help!"

The two seemed to take that well, and the three of you talked about random things until you reached the classroom, 3-A. Waving goodbye to your two new friends, you walked in, seeing a familiar girl sitting at one of the desks. Upon hearing you walk in, she looked up.

"It's you from before?!"

"Ah, it's tutor girl!"

The two of you exclaimed at the same time, you baffled and her cheery. Laughing slightly at your rudeness, you sat down next to her, blue eyes staring you down.

"Um, sorry about that. I'm [Y/n] Freecs - er, Freecs [Y/n]!" You slumped at the mistake. "Eh, it's been a long day..."

The girl laughed, unbothered by the slip-up. "Don't worry, Mr. Nezu told me about your situation. I'm Nejire Hado, but you can call me Jire-chan if I can call you [Y/n]-chan?"

Nezu told her of your situation...?

". . . How much did Mr. Principal tell you?"

"Everything!"

Nodding once, you almost let it slide before it hit you. "E-everything?!"

Nejire nodded, bright smile still on her face. "Yes! He told me everything so it'd be easier to teach you. Nobody else knows though, don't worry!"

You slowly relaxed. You didn't feel entirely comfortable with having another person know your secret, but Nejire seemed trustworthy and kind enough where you could trust her to not tell anybody else. If Nezu trusted her, that meant you could too, right? 

Introductions aside, the two of you quickly delved into lessons, first focusing on you learning how to read and write before Nejire had an idea, instructing you to write out the alphabet for your language. Her reasoning was that it might be similar to another language in this world, and as you sounded off the alphabet for her, you soon found out that her theory was correct.

Watching her scribble a bit on a blank piece of paper, she held it up for you to look at. It didn't make any sense to you, but she was beaming as if she had just solved all of your problems.

"This is Japanese katakana. It's the exact same as your alphabet, but with different characters!"

She went over them with you, and surprisingly, she was correct! Taking the paper from her, you wrote the characters from your world's language next to each character, the sounds matching up. This made it so much easier!

". . . It's one of the three alphabets we use here, along with kanji and hiragana!"

_Aw, dang it._

You didn't see why a language would need _three separate alphabets_, but you didn't have a choice but to learn all of them and how to write it if you wanted to fit in, and that's what you and Nejire spent the rest of your session doing. It felt silly to be practicing the alphabet like a toddler, but it was needed, and by the end of the session, you were able to write your name. It was sloppy, nowhere near looking as fluid and pretty as Nejire's handwriting, but it was progress!

Shuffling the papers in your school bag for you to study, both of you stood up, with you stretching your arms above your head to give your shoulders a satisfying 'pop'.

"Thanks again for all of this, Jire-chan!"

She nodded, patting you on the head as if you were a little child. "Of course! We'll be doing this almost every day, so I'm sure we'll be great friends!"

Her cheeriness had easily uplifted your own mood throughout the tutoring session, and you grinned happily up at her. "I hope so!" 

Throughout the tutoring session, the two of you had also had casual conversations, mostly with her asking about nen and your world and with you explaining stuff to the best of your ability. She didn't act shocked at all, just intrigued, and you could tell she was eating up all of the information you were telling her. You didn't blame her - you were like that when learning about quirks and how this world worked, after all. It was new and interesting, and you were just thankful she didn't act skeptically towards you at all, instead taking your existence with curiosity.

Leaving the classroom, she continued to ask questions about your old world, and you responded in kind, asking questions when you were given the opening. You had just finished telling her about the Phantom Troupe and the mafia when the two of you made it to the school's entrance (a makeshift gate replacing the previous one for the time being).

"Your world certainly seems lawless. Nobody was able to catch that Ghost Group?"

"_Phantom Troupe_, and nope. My friend killed two of them, but the rest got away." The words came out casually even with the mention of two deaths. Another strange difference in this world, you supposed. You were so desensitized to death from your world that you didn't really pause to think about how in this world, filled with so many laws and regulations, that even villain deaths weren't as common. Nejire didn't comment on this though, instead humming in thought as you two said your goodbyes and parted ways.

Feeling your phone buzz on your way home, you glanced at it, wincing when you saw the bazillion texts from Mei... in a language you couldn't read. Whoops. In light of everything that had happened today, you had totally forgotten about your promise to help Mei, let alone the fact there was a language barrier. Thankfully, translate existed, and while you weren't proficient in English, you had been translating everything from Japanese to English so you could read it better. That's exactly what you did so you could actually read her messages and respond accordingly.

Unsurprisingly, once everything was translated, you realized Mei was spamming you to hurry up and go to the workshop. Double whoops.

**To: Mei!  
From: [Y/n]**

**[4:30 pm] i'm so sorry! have to take extra lessons before and after classes every day now. i swear i'll help you soon! :(**

Just as you had pocketed your phone, it buzzed again, another text coming through.

**To: [Y/n]  
From: Mei!**

**[4:30 pm] I understand! U'll just have 2 wait until the sports festival to see my awesome babies! Come by when u can!**

At least she was understanding? From what you knew of Mei, you knew that this wouldn't hinder her in the slightest, and you were grateful she didn't seem bothered by you not being able to show up. She was definitely a fast texter, at the very least.

Finally heading home, you let out a sigh of relief. Today was long and stressful, but at least tomorrow would be better! With that thought in mind, you skipped to Aizawa's apartment, with the thoughts of the nen user from earlier now only lingering in the back of your head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i keep forgetting the language in hxh is completely different than the one in normal world so let's just pretend mc can also understand english and has been translating everything to english okokok


	8. 1/13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just gotta be caught on video falling to your death to become famous. MC's not really about it.

_"Chrollo? How is he in the game if he doesn't have nen?"_

_You had only been gone for an hour when you had reconvened with your friends again. This development was quite startling, but Gon shook his head. "It's somebody else using Chrollo's name!"_

_"But who...?"_

_As you pondered, Killua had added on that the two had already called Kurapika, and Kurapika himself confirmed that Chrollo was nenless. That, then, begged the question - who was posing as Chrollo? It could be another Troupe member, or even just some random stranger. Whatever it was, it only spelled trouble. That was something all of you could agree on._

_Bemused, you had a few suggestions. "If it isn't a Troupe member, my bet is Hisoka. He's exactly the type of person who would pose as the leader of the Phantom Troupe," who had offered up, but your idea was shot down. Why would Hisoka be in Greed Island? It didn't seem like Hisoka's style, but then again, Hisoka was a very flimsy and whimsical person._

_Killua strongly disagreed with you. "Whatever. As long as we avoid whoever the false Chrollo is, then we're fine."_

_You and Gon agreed, and decided to drop it for the time being, but you couldn't help but be curious. If Chrollo still didn't have access to his nen, what was he doing? Nen exorcists, while rare, _did_ exist, and you couldn't help but wonder... Just how long did you all have until Chrollo had his nen again?_

_"What are you guys doing? Get back to work!"_

_Wincing at Bisky's loud voice, the three of you quickly scrambled back to your nen exercises to avoid her wrath._

* * *

Jolting upwards, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes as you thought back on your dream of what had happened before you were ejected from your world. You missed your friends greatly, and couldn't help but wish for a way to get back to your world. If you could jump between the two places at will it would be fine, but you couldn't. No matter how you looked at it, you were stuck.

Sighing, you picked up your phone to see if you had any notifications (you didn't), only to gasp at the time.

"Shit! I'm gonna be late!"

You had missed your morning tutoring session, and would be seconds away from being late to regular classes if you didn't get your ass in gear! 

Haphazardly pulling on your school uniform, you stormed into the kitchen, completely frazzled. A note lay on the dining room table, and you grabbed it, grimacing at Aizawa's scrawled handwriting.

_Had to go in early, you should be able to get to U.A. by yourself... As if!! He just abandoned me!_

Scrunching the piece of paper and shoving it into your bag, you didn't give yourself any more time to complain, dashing out of the apartment, only to go back and quickly lock the door. Ensuring it was secure, you then were off, running to campus and weaving through the crowds of people. If you were late for a second time in the row, guardian or not, Aizawa would _kill_ you!

By the time you reached campus, you were completely out of breath, your legs screaming at the overuse. You had definitely used nen to boost your speed just by a bit, and hoped nobody had noticed as you slammed open the class door, hair frizzy and eyes open wide. Your sudden appearance had made those closest to the door jump, and you bowed deeply, Aizawa's unimpressed glare on your form.

"I'm sorry! I woke up late!"

Your apology didn't phase your teacher in the slightest, who just sighed and said, "Just get to your seat, Freecs."

Quick to sit down, you combed your fingers through your hair, trying to retain some semblance of neatness as Aizawa mentioned the plans for the day. You had assumed it'd be more boring schoolwork, but your ears and head perked up at the words "rescue simulation". Finally, some action! You couldn't stand periods of stagnancy in your own world, so sitting around all day absolutely bored you!

Bouncing up and down in your seat, you nearly shot up when Aizawa dismissed you all so you all could go outside and board the bus that would apparently take you to where you would be fighting. You would have flown out of the classroom completely, if it weren't for people approaching you again - specifically, Mina and three others, a boy with red hair and sharp teeth, a black-haired boy with weird looking elbows, and another boy with blond hair that had a black streak. It was the blond that spoke first, all casual and confident.

"[Y/n]-chan! This is you, right?"

You leaned back as a cellphone was shoved towards you, and your eyes flickered in interest at the video he was trying to show you before you had paled exponentially. Hurdling through the sky at an alarming rate was what looked to be a lifeless body - one you recognized immediately as yourself. As your body impacted the ground, the person holding the camera ran closer, somebody shouting for help in the background as the camera zoomed in on an area dense with smoke.

Soon, the smoke cleared, and you winced, glad for the lower quality video. In the middle of a crater laid your body. You were breathing, obviously, but you were all bloody and you were certain that was a _bone_ sticking out of your leg. Suddenly, the camera cut out, and your eyebrows raised up high in light of this new information. You weren't even sure where to start. Yeah, your nen type enhanced your healing, but _that_... That was intense, not to mention you were surprised at how the blond had even gotten the video! The reporters had recognized you yesterday, as well... Just how many people have seen this video?!

Clearing your throat, you decided to play it cool, giving the three a crooked smile. "Yep! But I'm okay, now!" Gesturing to yourself and showing you had no injuries, you had started to walk around them to get to the door, the three following you and ambushing you with questions.

"That's insane, what exactly happened?!" Mina asked, and you laughed slightly, shrugging. _I came out of a portal from another world and wound up here, it's fine!_ Yeah, like that would go down well. It would be best to feign ignorance for now.

Going that route, you quickly brushed that question aside. "I don't actually remember! I just remember waking up in the hospital, but how I wound up there is completely blank." You felt bad for lying, but you couldn't exactly tell them the truth, could you? It couldn't be helped, but you still felt _guilty_. You were trying to befriend them, but lying through your teeth - some friend _you_ were.

At your response, the three had let out an "ohhh!", and this time the shark-teethed boy spoke up, just as excited as Mina. "You healed from that quick, that's pretty manly! I'm Kirishima Eijirou, by the way." He seemed friendly, and while excited, was probably the most subdued of the bunch, but...

_I'm... manly . . . ?_

The weird elbow guy was next to introduce himself. "I'm Sero Hanta, it's nice to meet you!"

The blond caught on and introduced himself too. "Oh, I'm Kaminari Denki, but a cutie like you can just call me - _ack !_ "

Having caught up with the class, a girl with headphone jacks had quickly jabbed at Denki, cutting him off from his flirting. She sent you an apologetic glance. "I apologize on his behalf, Freecs-san, he's been like that with everybody here. I'm Jirou Kyoka, by the way."

Nodding, you smiled at your little group. "It's nice to meet you all! Since we're friends, you can call me [Y/n], no need for that last name stuff!"

You missed the blush that had graced some of the guys' faces, your attention being diverted to Tenya, who was currently yelling at everybody to line up and board the bus in an orderly fashion. _Haha, he's like a mom._

You decided not to argue and just went with the flow as all of you boarded the bus. The layout was a bit weird, and you wound up sitting in between Denki and another blond - which lasted for a very short moment, as the moment Denki tried to to put his arm around you in a smooth manner, you got up and sat across from him and in between Tsuyu and Eijirou, completely ignoring him as he pouted and Hanta laughed at the failure.

"You're not wearing your hero outfit?" Eijirou asked you as you sat back down, and you shrugged, shaking your head. Like you had enough time to come up with a hero outfit yet!

"It's not done," you explained, "so I'm stuck in gym clothes. But that's fine!"

You didn't mind, and in all honesty, would probably be wearing regular clothes as your "hero outfit". You didn't need anything extravagant, you never wore anything fancy when fighting back in your world, so why did you need it now?

Eijirou nodded in understanding, and didn't say anything else as Tsuyu spoke up, loud enough for everybody else to hear. "Midoriya. You know, I say everything on my mind," she started facing the curly-haired kid next to her who seemed startled at being spoken to - if you remembered correctly, that was Izuku, the kid who stepped down from being the class president.

"Asui?"

"Call me Tsu. Anyways, I've noticed your power is a lot like All Might's."

Izuku seemed alarmed, and you cocked your head. All Might... That was the elusive pro hero you _still_ haven't met. You would admit, you _had_ looked him up, and he was buff. In comparison to your world with his position and apparent power, you kind of compared him to Netero, the head chairman of the Hunter's Association, but you were entirely certain Netero could obliterate All Might. He may be old, but that old man has some spunk.

Before Izuku could respond, Eijirou butted in, pondering over the situation too. You hadn't seen Izuku's ability to really compare him to All Might, and wondered briefly what had you missed before you enrolled into U.A. Was it possible everybody has fought before, already?!

"Yeah, but All Might doesn't get hurt when using his quirk."

Others nodded in agreement, and you hummed, glancing over at Izuku. Damn, if he got hurt every time he used his ability, that was a major drawback. "You should work on that, if you get hurt every time you try to use your quirk, you won't last long in a fight!"

What had been meant as encouraging apparently did not come out so as Izuku drooped, muttering something you couldn't quite catch underneath his breath, and the others continued to talk about quirks. You resigned yourself to just listening - it's not like you could really give your input, considering you hadn't seen anybody fight! Hopefully, today would change all that!

"Yeah, even though we've just met, it's no surprise to anybody that your personality is trash steeped in sewage."

_Damn, Denki_.

As the spiky blond (who you had determined was Katsuki Bakugou) blew up, you couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Ain't that the truth! I just met you and can say for certain that you seem like an asshole!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU DAMNED NEWBIE?!"

Everybody else seemed to take it lightheartedly, laughing, and Eijirou turned towards you as you all simultaneously blocked out Katsuki. "Say, [Y/n], what's your quirk? You arrived late, so nobody has seen it, besides that one video on ViewTube!"

Cringing at the mention of that god forsaken video. you debated on telling them for a moment, but weren't sure how to explain it. Instead, you gave a friendly wink. "It's a my~ster~y~! You'll just have to wait and see how strong it is when we all fight!" you said, applauding yourself inwardly at the fact that what you said sort of rhymed. _Maybe my true calling is a song writer or a poet, instead of being a hero... nah, who am I kidding, I was born to fight and kick bad guy ass._

Katsuki scoffed. "Yeah right, I bet it's pathetic."

Before you could snap with a retort (which you were deciding between "no it isn't, asshole!" and "shut up you walnut!"), the bus came to a stop, and Aizawa asked you all to basically shut up and get off the bus. Listening, all of you filed off and gathered outside of the large, dome-like building.

Already waiting for you all was somebody in a puffy suit. Was that their _hero_ suit? It looked pretty difficult to fight in, but Hisoka fought in stiletto heels, so maybe you shouldn't judge. 

Everybody gathering, soon the talking died down and the newcomer held up a hand. Beside you, Izuku had exclaimed, "that's Thirteen, the Space Hero!" before going off on a small tangent on who exactly they were.

Not a name you recognized, and you had _so_ many questions, but figured it would be best to ask later. Like how are they a space hero? Why do they look like a giant marshmallow with a helmet? Unfortunately, you had no time to ask anyways as Thirteen started to speak anyways, their voice slightly obscured, as if they were talking through a walkie talkie. Yeah. You definitely had some questions.

"Let's go inside without delay," Thirteen said, and you all followed them inside. Immediately, your face lit up - and you weren't the only one. Despite being in a building, it still felt you were outside, with various disaster zones scattered everywhere. It was unreal, like a giant fighting playground! Oh, Gon and Killua would have a blast here, you couldn't wait to show them!

Oh... _yeah._

Tuning back in, Thirteen started to list off the various sections. "A shipwreck, disaster zone, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, and etcetera. This is a training ground I made with different types of accidents and disasters, which I call the "Unforseen Simulation Joint", or "USJ" for short!"

While the acronym fell lost on you, with the rest of your classmates sweatdropping or feeling exasperated to some degree of the comparison to Universal Studios Japan, you bounced on your heels excitedly. You could spend all day in here. Hell, you could spend all week in here! Messing around in different disaster zones, practicing your nen, living off the wild (already had you forgotten that you were technically in a building) - it was a dream come true!

"Oh, oh, when can we start! I wanna try out the landslide zone first!" You were bubbling with excitement, and Thirteen glanced over at you.

"There's still a bit more to talk about . . ."

Ignoring your outburst, Aizawa had walked up to them, his voice dropping. Immediately, you activated your gyo, putting concentration into your ears to be able to hear what he was saying. You knew eavesdropping was bad but, in your defense, whispering in front of people was pretty rude.

"Thirteen, where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

Ah, yes, the elusive hero you _still_ haven't met yet. You were getting insanely curious, only having watched videos of him, you wanted to know what he was really like!

"Ah, well, about that... He apparently did too much hero work on his way here and ran out of time..."

Well, whatever _that_ meant. You weren't going to dwell on it too hard, honestly, too excited just to get this ball rolling so you could get out there. 

Aizawa finally stepped to the side, letting Thirteen address your group again. "Well everybody, before I begin, I have one thing to say... or two... or three... or four..."

You groaned. Why did the list start going up so suddenly?!

"Everyone, I'm sure you are aware of my quirk, Black Hole." _You_ weren't, but it's not like you were going to say anything about it right now and interrupt the class. You just wanted this explanation over with so you could get into the nitty-gritty stuff. "I can use my quirk to suck up anything and turn it to dust." Okay, now _that_ was awesome.

Izuku was the first to speak up, seeming as excited as you, but for a different reason as he started to geek out over Thirteen's quirk, a short, brown-haired girl jumping up and down next to him. "You've been able to use that power to save people from all sorts of disasters, right?"

Thirteen nodded. "Yes. But it's also a power that can easily kill. Some of you also have quirks like that, right?"

You paused in your excitement, mulling over the hero's words. Thirteen was right - with both quirks and nen. If used wrong, it _could_ kill somebody. You were pretty desensitized to death, having seen some bloody shit back in your world, but it didn't change the fact that you, personally, didn't want to actually have to kill anybody. You were an enhancer, though. If you truly gave your all, focusing ren on your fist when punching somebody, you could possibly kill them. This fact wasn't lost on you. While inadvertently you had helped _cause_ death (you did, after all, assist Kurapika when he had placed judgement chain on Pakunoda, which led to her own demise; that's not to mention the one criminal you accidentally threw off the edge in Trick Tower, but that was a total accident!), it wasn't something you did consciously. Not like the Phantom Troupe, or Kurapika, or Hisoka. 

In short, you'd have to be conscious of using your nen ability. In a world without nen, using your own abilities wrongly would cause much more damage than good, not to mention put your identity at risk.

"That is all. Thank you for listening."

Tuning back in, you realized with a start that you had missed a majority of Thirteen's speech while you had been thinking over your nen abilities. Whoops. In your defense, you already had fought in life threatening situations so many times that you knew that you couldn't use your power so recklessly. You weren't an _idiot_.

As everybody cheered, you glanced back down at your fists, humming, before feeling a pair of eyes on you. Looking around, you noticed the one guy nearby who had his eyes zeroes in on you, and you had to do a double take on his appearance. Half red, half white, with ice covering his left side. Was... that _real?_ He seemed like he was glaring at you and you couldn't figure out _why_. What was this dude's problem? Hoping to diffuse whatever negative feelings that he was trying to direct at you, you flashed a peace sign, and he scowled and turned away.

_Damn, that was rude._

It was best not to dwell on his behavior, for now, but he was definitely making it on your ass-kicking list for this world (in which Katsuki was number one, currently).

When the cheering died down, Aizawa started to speak. "Alright then. First - "

As if on cue, the power surged, and your eyes were immediately drawn to the black hole appearing by a fountain. It stuck out like a sore thumb, and you visibly winced at the familiar looking portal. That was almost exactly similar as to what had sent you hurdling into this world, and you took a step back, cringing. You didn't have to ask - whatever was about to go down, wasn't going to be good.

_So much for having a better day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC when she finds out that space exploration is a thing in this world: "mom holy FUCK"


	9. Requiem Aranea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC meets the League of Villains and faces a worthy adversary.

"Has the simulation already started?!"

Glancing over at Eijirou, you couldn't help the frown that was on your face. This feeling was definitely not a good one, leaving you with only one solid guess - these guys were villains. 

Aizawa had shouted at Thirteen to gather you all and don't move, and you finally got past the initial shock, stepping forward. This was your chance to shine! Unlike your peers, you had the combat experience. If you could face off with the Phantom Troupe and _survive_ (not that you _actually_ fought them, but...) then you could handle anything! Besides, you weren't going to let your guardian fight on his own. Running away would be cowardly, damned be the consequences!

Taking another step forward, you realized you weren't the only one. Izuku and Eijirou went to move as well, but Aizawa had quickly shot you guys down. "Don't move! Those are villains."

While everybody had frozen up at his exclamation, you ignored him, taking another step behind him. You wouldn't just charge into the situation - as much as you'd _like_ to, there were too many others here, and you had a feeling your two teachers wouldn't appreciate that kind of reckless behavior from you. Still, your mind was made up. You couldn't just let yourself be ushered to safety. Besides, you wanted a good fight, right? While this wasn't _exactly_ what you had in mind, you were still feeling pumped. Nen far outranked quirks, and you were excited to show off your skills and have a good challenge.

_It's fine if I go just a _little_ overboard since they're villains, right...?_

There were a lot of them, sure, but you had an overabundance of confidence that you could take them on.

It was tense, and your eyes focused on one person in particular, who felt vaguely familiar. He had on a black hoodie, with disembodied hands all over him, and you squinted, trying to recall where you had seen him from.

"Thirteen and Eraserhead, huh? The teacher's schedule we received the other day said that All Might was supposed to be here."

You _thought_ the voice was coming from the misty portal thing, which had a vaguely shaped head, but couldn't be entirely positive. However, his words struck a chord in both you and Aizawa as your teacher gritted his teeth.

"Yesterday's trespassing was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?"

Oh _shit_, that was the guy you had passed in the hallway when you had sensed the nen! You had thought it was weird how cool and calm his movements had been, but had been so wrapped up in the other nen user that you hadn't stopped to question it at all. Hell, you had nearly bumped _into_ him. Could you have prevented this if you had stayed in Nezu's office like you were ordered?! Gritting your teeth, you glowered. You had been played. It was also possible that you were being led away on purpose to give the villain enough time to get what he needed.

Gah, you were such a fool! To believe there was another nen user in this world was preposterous, and yet... You couldn't deny the immense disappointment you felt. You had really hoped somebody else had found a way here and that you were going to have a way out of this place.

_But then... how would they have known to use nen to lead me away from Nezu's office? Am I overthinking? Agh, this makes no sense!_

You were starting to confuse yourself, and you quickly slapped your own cheeks to put some sense back into yourself. _Fight now, worry later! You can discuss this with Aizawa and Nezu _after_ these bozos are taken care of!_

The next voice to speak was different, and though you couldn't see his face, you knew it was coming from the hand guy. _There's gotta be a joke in here somewhere about those hands... Oh, a hand j-_

"All Might... where is he? And I took the trouble of bringing this crowd here... Maybe he'll come if we kill some kids."

As the villains approached, you tensed, picking up slightly as your peers behind you had started to murmur in disbelief. You ignored them in favor of your teacher, your eyes trained on his back.

"I'm fighting with you. I've faced enough life-or-death situations back in my own home that I can handle a couple of low-tier dumbasses," you told him, voice set. You _wouldn't_ take 'no' for an answer. Anyways, Aizawa would be crazy to not let you fight, he had heard of your abilities, and having a nen user fight alongside him would be super benefic-

"No."

Nearly falling over in disbelief, you furrowed your eyebrows, fists clenching in dismay. "And why not?! You can't fight by yourself!"

Aizawa didn't glance back at you. "Help Thirteen get the other students out of here. Capable or not, you're still a student under protection of U.A.." You slumped at his words, but before you could try to argue even more, he was walking towards the other pro-hero. "Thirteen, start evacuating the students. Try contacting the school - these villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible somebody with radio-wave-type powers is interfering. Kaminari, you try contacting the school with your quirk, too."

Izuku protested. "What about you, sir? Will you fight by yourself? With that many, even if you can erase their quirks...! Eraserhead's fighting style is capturing after erasing the enemy's quirk. A head-on battle is..."

You nodded along. Izuku got it! "Izuku is right, let me help!"

This caused the green-haired teen to stutter, not that you really paid much attention to that. "I-I-Izuku..?!"

Aizawa shook his head. "Freecs, you need to focus on helping Thirteen. Anyways, heroes aren't one trick ponies."

With that said, Aizawa was off to fight, and you were left clenching your fists and gritting your teeth at the fact that you had been so easily brushed aside. You weren't going to go after him, though. As much as you _wanted_ to, you were afraid you'd only distract him and make things worse. For now you would just have to listen to him, even when you really didn't want to.

Turning to Thirteen, you nodded once, a bitter expression on your face. "Alright, let's get this show on a roll, I guess."

You were surprised that everybody cooperated, especially Katsuki, who seemed like he wanted nothing more than to kick somebody's (hopefully a villain's) ass. There was no time for contemplating on it, though, as you all were _so_ close, you could _see_ the entrance, and then... Blocked. The mist from before enveloped the entrance, revealing the portal guy from before. _Great_.

"Greetings. We are the League of Villains, and have took it upon ourselves to infiltrate U.A. in order to find All Might... I was under the impression he'd be here. No matter, as it is my role to scatter you students and torture you to death."

With a blast, Katsuki and Eijirou had quickly leapt forward, the mist-man dodging the attacks casually. Thirteen had yelled for them to stop, but to no avail, and before you had time to react, the mist spread out, enveloping everyone. You tried to back up, not knowing what the hell that mist was, but it was too late, and soon it enveloped you too, sending you plunging - _again_ \- through darkness.

Honestly, you weren't sure you could get used to the feeling of being teleported. It wasn't pleasant, especially when it seemed to always happen when you weren't expecting it. Tensing up, you were fully prepared to fall through the sky again, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. A small blessing. Instead, you landed on your feet in a new area, a jolt of shock traveling up your legs from the harsh landing. At least it wasn't too bad, so you couldn't complain.

"Where...?"

Taking in your new surroundings, you smiled wryly as recognition danced across your features from the partially covered buildings and dirt everywhere. Well, not exactly what you had in mind when you were talking about the landslide zone earlier, but at least your wish had come true... sort of?

"This is the landslide zone."

Startled, you whirled around, relaxing slightly when you recognized the kid who glared at you earlier, half-hot and half-cold due to his weird color scheme. Unfortunately, you couldn't stop the words that left your lips in a rude manner. "Um, who are you again?"

Heterochromatic eyes stared at you for a moment, his expression stoic and giving nothing away. Damn, he was a tough nut to crack. "Todoroki Shouto."

Nodding, you cracked your knuckles. "Well, Shouto," you started, ignoring the way his face hardened at your familiar use of his first name, "I say we -- _hey!_"

Ducking, you just managed to evade some asshole who tried to attack you, fingernails long enough to cut somebody. You didn't hesitate to bring your leg up, kicking him backwards a bit stronger than you had meant to as he skidded across the ground. It was just a reflex! You'd have to be aware of how much nen you used while fighting, lest you give yourself away and royally fuck up. You had been warned constantly to not draw any unwanted attention, and you were already doing a shit job at that with your apparent illiteracy and lack of common sense when it came to this world.

Thankfully, you didn't land with anybody incompetent, because as it turns out, Shouto is _bad ass_. Instantly he had frozen almost every opponent, and you had managed to jump up just in time to avoid becoming a human popsicle as ice coated the ground. It was effective, instantly freezing all the villains into place, but...

"Hey! You totally just stole my chance to finally fight!"

Shouto either didn't hear you, or didn't care, and you had a feeling it was the latter as he stepped over towards one of the frozen villains. "Scatter and kill us? I'm sorry to say, but you lot seem to be just a bunch of pathetic goons."

Okay, that was actually a pretty cool line, and you inwardly applauded your classmate as you shivered slightly. Shouto was probably used to his quirk, but you weren't, and a puff of cold air escaped your lips as you rubbed up and down your arms in an attempt to stay warm. His quirk was honestly amazing! And it definitely matched his icily stoic personality, not that you would say that out loud to him.

Watching him approach one of the frozen villains, you stood by, unsure of what to do as your teeth chattered together in an annoying manner.

You were most certainly not a fan of the cold.

"What is your goal here? Why are you after All Might? I would speak fast, before your body temperature drops too low."

_Whoa... talk about scary!_

The poor villain, who was shivering way worse than you, spoke up quickly. "W-We have a weapon! One that can kill All Might!"

You and Shouto exchanged looks, the severity of the situation settling in. A weapon... that could kill All Might? Granted, you didn't know much, but you had seen the videos of All Might. You doubted it was an easy feat to kill somebody known as the number one hero, and you had to wonder if they were bluffing or if they really had some sort of secret weapon that could obliterate the so called "Symbol of Peace". A part of you really hoped it was a person, that way you could fight them.

Turning to Shouto, you hummed, not looking too bothered. "All Might isn't here, though, so does that mean..."

It was as if both of you simultaneously had the same thought of who would most likely be facing the weapon, and your eyebrows shot up. Only one person had stayed behind, after all, and that was...

Oh boy. Immediately, you and Shouto took off, leaving the poor villains stuck in the ice as the two of you navigated through the landslide zone. It wasn't too bad, but you had a feeling Shouto was holding back so he didn't leave you behind. Cute, but you could definitely handle yourself. It'd be best if he wound up going ahead anyways, right? He could surf on that ice or whatever. Was that even possible? Opening your mouth to ask as much, you felt a pang in your chest, causing you to stumble and almost lose your footing for a moment. Shouto had stopped and looked back, looking equal amounts annoyed at your clumsiness and concerned at the fact you faltered.

A hand fluttering to your chest, you shook your head, as if to say you were alright. "Go... Go ahead. I can defend myself, and we need to get back to Aizawa immediately."

You had expected him to just go off. After all, from what you had seen of Shouto, he wasn't a very empathetic person, but he didn't, standing there for a moment as if trying to decide on what _he_ wanted to do. Damn it, he was wasting time!

"I'm serious. _Go_, I'll catch up in a moment."

Shouto finally relented, casting you one last look. ". . . Be careful."

You nodded in response, and sure enough, he used his ice to blaze away, giving you a brief reprieve as you leaned up against a half-sunken building. Your heart was going back to normal, but you had a strange feeling, one that left your stomach in a tight knot as you closed your eyes. 

_Just... for a moment!_

Stretching out your nen, you activated your en instantly, feeling out. Nothing out of the ordinary - no, that's not right. You could feel Aizawa's presence, weak and flickering, and... and...

Gasping, you let go of your en, a wave of cold washing over you that combated Shouto's ice. Whatever _that_ was, it was not normal. Was that their secret weapon? What the hell _was_ that?! And even worse, _Aizawa_...

Taking off, you immediately focused every ounce of nen and energy into your legs, giving you a speed boost to be able to get back to the clearing in what you were sure was record time. You didn't encounter any other villains on the way, nor did you see any of your other classmates. You assumed they either all converged in the center where the main fight was, or had gone to the entrance. Not once did you think that any of your classmates couldn't make it - you trusted in them. After all, why would they be in the hero course if they couldn't hold their own against some pathetic weaklings?

When you arrived at the center area, you were greeted with a strange sight, [e/c] eyes scanning the area. In the center was the pro you recognized as All Might right away, with blood dripping out of his mouth. _Man, he's a lot bigger than I expected... Maybe even bigger than that Uvogin guy from the Phantom Troupe!_

To the left was the warp guy, currently pinned down by Katsuki, and by him were Eijirou and Shouto. On the other side was the handy man and Izuku, and in the center...

_What _is_ that thing?!_

Immediately, you recognized it as the bone chilling source from before. Whatever it was, it wasn't human, and despite people looking strange here... you had a feeling that poor creature hadn't been born like that. Most likely, it wasn't acting of its own volition, either. As terrifying as it was, it was also quite sad to see. It looked like some awful monster from the Dark Continent, honestly, but that wasn't a thing here. 

The hand man had said something you hadn't quite caught, and in an instant the monster flew towards Katsuki. Shouting in dismay, you lurched forward, just a second too late as dust flew in the air. When it settled, you saw Katsuki was on the ground, unharmed.

"K-Kachaan! You dodged that?!"

Katsuki looked at a loss for words, before shooting a glare at Izuku. "I didn't, shut up, scum!" At his words, you slowly followed everybody else's eyes, realizing All Might had taken the punch. For being a number one hero... He honestly was not doing very well. Granted, though, you had a feeling you had missed a large part of this battle. However, despite the injuries All Might had sustained, you couldn't deny that he had been faster than you. You had barely seen that thing _move_, but All Might had made it in time and had made sure none of the students got hurt. 

"Do you... not know how to hold back?!"

This came from All Might, and the hand man was quick in response, flanking the monster. "It was to save my companions. After all, that plain one was ready to punch me with everything he had, you know." The hand man pointed at Izuku, and you tensed, glancing over at your curly-haired friend. "Violence for the sake of others makes it admirable."

That was literally the most bullshit excuse ever, and you were about to call him out on it. However, the hand man kept talking, apparently wanting to keep this monologue up and having no worries that he could get attacked at any moment for taking so long to explain his problems.

"You know what? I'm pissed. I'm pissed at this world that categorizes the same violent acts as heroic or villainous, deciding what's good and what's bad. Symbol of Peace? You're just a tool to repress violence. Well, violence only breeds violence, and the world will know this once _we_ kill you."

Well, shit, that wasn't a turn you expected, honestly. You hated it, but had to agree with the hand man in a sense. You didn't approve of his ways, obviously, but you had noticed this when being taught about the world by Nezu and Aizawa and Nejire. Everything here... It was so black and white. Good VS. Evil, Heroes VS. Villains. There were so many _laws_ that governed this world, so many things you couldn't do, and there were no gray areas. If you didn't fit into what society expected was good, you were bad. Even vigilantes, who _did_ good, were detained and arrested, and it wasn't fair! Much like your own world... Bad guys can do good things. Good guys can do bad things. You doubted all heroes were good, just as you doubted all villains were actually bad, so why was it alright for one group to be violent, and not the other?

What even _were_ 'heroes' and 'villains'?

"[Y/n]?"

At the sound of your name being quietly spoken, you turned to face a concerned Eijirou, tuning in on your classmate's conversation. You quickly mouthed "I'm fine!" to Eijirou, not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be the beginning of a plan.

"It's three against six," said Shouto once your attention was tuned in, and you nodded solemnly. These morality questions... You weren't going to let them go, but it was dangerous to dwell on in the midst of battle. You had to give this your 100% brain power!

Izuku was the next to speak up, and you assumed 'Kachaan' was Katsuki, information you stored away for later. "And Kaachan already found out the fog guy's weakness!"

"These guys are crazy, but if we backup All Might, we can push them back!"

You nodded, bringing your fists up. "Compared to the people I've faced against before... These guys are amateurs at _best_." Hisoka... Illumi... The Phantom Troupe... You thought of your past trials and battles, and a smirk once again started to grace your face. That hand guy especially looked lanky and weak, and you had to think, if these were the baddest of the bad, then this world is _seriously_ lacking.

"No!"

In disbelief, you brought your hands down a bit as you faced All Might, a slow outrage growing on your face. "Run away."

It was your turn to shout. You didn't know where Aizawa was earlier and you hoped he was alright, but if he wasn't here... That meant he was seriously hurt. You could have prevented it if you hadn't listened to him and had fought back with him! You _weren't_ making that same mistake again, no matter what the consequences would be. "No way in hell! I'm staying here to fight."

Shouto unexpectedly agreed. "If I hadn't done anything earlier, you would've been in trouble, right?"

"You must be Young Freecs. Thank you both, but I've got this. Just sit back and watch as a pro gives it everything he's got."

Shooting you all a thumbs up, you couldn't help but be just a bit skeptical. This guy was bleeding from his side and mouth pretty badly, and you doubted he could last long. Yeah, no. You weren't listening to All Might. Besides, you were sort of selfish; you were _craving_ some real action, and were determined to finally get your chance to shine and prove to these newbie fighters just how good you were. A bit childish, but you were revved up. You couldn't stand back now!

"Nomu. Kurogiri. Get him. I'll deal with the children."

Turning towards the monster, you started to build up your nen, a look of serious concentration on your face. You had two options - back up All Might, or deal with the hand man. You were quick to make your choice. After all, two against one wasn't fair, and you knew your friends could handle anything hand man threw at them.

"Hey bird brain!"

Just as the hand man had started to run towards you all, you had instantly shot forward like a rocket, wind gusting around you at the sheer force you shot forward with while using your nen. In moments you were in front of the monster, ignoring All Might's shouts for you to get back as you brought up your leg and slammed a well-balanced kick aimed right into the monster's gut, dust and dirt flying up again. You had gone at almost 100% of your power, knowing full well that, as an enhancer, using 100% would be _way_ overkill. However, you couldn't risk it. Who knew how much All Might _really_ had in him, and you wanted to end this as quickly as possible so you could hopefully fight the hand man as well. Steadying yourself on both feet, you waited for the dust to settle, confident in your own abilities, but...

... When everything settled, the creature stood, only having been knocked a few feet back. Your classmates exclaimed in shock at the fact that you managed to knock it back at all, but you couldn't help but stare in horror.

"That's... impossible..."

Not only did you just use almost all of your strength at this creature who barely reacted, but there was a familiar glow now wrapped around the creature, one that you recognized right away in horror and shock. One that, unfortunately, meant the tables had turned, and not in a way that would benefit you. 

"Nen?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up on: mc is way too cocky and overconfident with her nen and is kind of a bird brain herself haha. gon's rubbed off on her a bit too much.


	10. Rampaging Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch what you say - you never know who could be listening in, and MC has to learn this the hard way as she's forced into confrontation with the big baddie.

"Nen?!"

You were in shock. You honestly couldn't help it - it was the last thing you had expected, and you watched as the glow slightly died down. For a moment, you thought that maybe this monster was from your world. How else would it have nen?! It wasn't the same, though, you quickly realized as you jumped back closer to All Might, wanting to put as much distance as you could between yourself and the creature. It was forced upon the creature, and felt artificial in a sense. But, then, how did it _get_ nen? You couldn't sense any other nen users in the USJ, but there had to have been a nen user involved for the creature to be like this, meaning your earlier theory was right. Somebody from your world was _here_.

"So it's you... You're the one from the other world."

Your attention snapped over to the guy with the hands, eyes impossibly wide. He had stopped halfway through his launched attack on your friends to regard you with beady red eyes, eyes that seemed to pierce right through you. But more importantly...

He _knew_?!

"'Other world'?" Eijirou asked, repeating the hand guy's words as different sets of eyes focused on you. You had no time to explain. Hell, if you did, you weren't sure you _could_, as your brain was already overheating from the shock that this guy knew who - and _what_ \- you were. This did not bode well.

Your chest was tight, and you forced yourself to breathe evenly, to stay calm. The League of Villains, they called themselves. It was somewhat reminiscent to the Phantom Troupe in the sense they were a group of morally questionable people. In that comparison, with the hand guy seeming to be the leader, was he akin to Chrollo in strength? If he was, you doubted you could take him. There was no _way_ you could take him if he was as powerful as Chrollo. Already, you had severely underestimated the strength of this monster, recognizing that you had been too cocky.

"Young Freecs, get back!"

You didn't hesitate to listen, launching backwards, and you were thankful the creature didn't follow you. Your widened eyes, instead, trailed over to the hand man, still trying to process his words. "How... did you know...?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he sighed, picking at the back of his neck with a ferocity that made you inwardly cringe. "Change of plans. Nomu. You get All Might. Kurogiri. . . capture that girl."

Upon the new orders, the monster (Nomu?) had launched forwards towards All Might, and the pro hero had no choice but to rebuttal his attacks and stand his ground. Upon the impact, gusts of wind blew everywhere, and you flipped backwards, gritting your teeth at the sheer _intensity_.

You had definitely underestimated All Might's ability. For him to be able to withstand that Nomu like this was a bit impressive, but... you had bigger problems to deal with.

Having not been the only one knocked back, you noticed that everybody nearby was struggling to stay on the ground, and you whipped your head around, just in time to see a hand come towards you. Within a split second you bent backwards, avoiding the blow narrowly as your hands connected the ground and you swung your legs up, kicking your assailant in the chest. Standing back on both feet, you glared at the hand guy, the one whom had attempted to attack you. You'd have to be careful. You had _no_ idea what his ability was, and the fact he was most likely sided with somebody from your world... It daunted you.

"He said you were strong, but young. How _scary_ it must be, being in another world. Don't you want to know how to get back?"

He was taunting you, and you clenched your fists. "Shut up!" Lurching forward, you attempted to land another kick, but the hand man sidestepped it with ease, grabbing onto your arm. Immediately you tried to shake him off, but he held on with bruising strength, fingers wrapped tightly around your wrist. Any stronger and you were afraid it might break.

"Let go!" With your free hand, you attempted to swing it forward, but he caught that too.

"Interesting... Like him, you don't disintegrate... I wonder why."

With raw force you pushed forward, managing to push him off as you took a couple strides backwards, panting slightly. What did he mean by _disintegrate?_ Was that his quirk? If it was, you could only hope that your nen had protected you from that one or that some weird fluke happened, because no way did you want to experience the feeling of being turned into ash.

Bringing your fists back up, you tensed but didn't make the first move. Likewise, the hand man stayed still, and in the background you could hear shouting as all eyes were on Nomu and All Might's big battle, your hair whipping behind you violently. This guy was deceptively strong, and you debated on your next course of action. You doubted he would listen to reason and give up, so trying to come to a compromise was a no-go, but you were also running out of stamina and you didn't want to have to push yourself too hard.

He took a step forward, and your eyes trained behind him, realizing there was a person missing.

"Shit!"

Just in time, you side stepped out of the way, the warp gate that hand man called "Kurogiri" materializing behind you. If you had been a moment later, who _knows_ where you would have ended up. Keeping up with hand man was one thing, but Kurogiri, too? It would be difficult, but... and call you crazy, but you were _excited_ for the challenge.

An uneven grin made its way onto your face. "So that's how it is, huh?"

You were careful to avoid the radius of All Might and Nomu, running towards the hand-man. Fighting Kurogiri was too risky, and you knew that. One misstep and you'd be sent spiraling through another one of his portals, and you didn't want to know where you'd end up this time. Exchanging blows, you and the hand man weren't as fast nor as impressive as the pro hero that was currently throwing punches at a breakneck speed, but still fast enough where even the tiniest mistake would be enough to change the tides. 

Infuriatingly enough, your opponent didn't look tired at all. If anything, he looked _bored_.

Wincing at a particularly strong blow that connected with your shoulder, you stood your ground, afraid that if you stumbled at all, you'd be stumbling right into Kurogiri's quirk. Then it'd be game over. "How do you know about me? Who's on your side?"

The hand man laughed, amused at your line of questioning. "You think you're the only one here? If you come with us, we can tell you everything you need to know. You're on the wrong side, you know!"

"As if!"

Agitated that you weren't getting any answers, you knocked him back with a kick that send him skidding. It wasn't very powerful, and he was still on his feet, but it put some distance between the two of you. Just in time, as a loud shattering noise stole your attention, and you looked back to see All Might standing there, Nomu nowhere in sight.

Wait...

Glancing up slowly, you saw the hole in the roof, your eyebrows shooting up. All Might patted his chest, before turning his gaze to the three of you - specifically, Kurogiri and the hand guy. "Now, villains... it's your turn!"

You had to get out of the way. You did _not_ want to be standing in between All Might and hand man like this. Without any more hesitation you had jumped back, away from them all as your eyes trained on the hand man.

"A hack... you cheated!"

"That's rich, coming from some asshole who somehow infused nen into that creature! You're the cheat!" You accused, pointing a finger out at him and not caring about the few of your classmates who were still within hearing range. You were too worked up, too frustrated to care about any consequences at this point. "This world... Nen shouldn't be a part of it, and yet you found a way around it anyways! _You're_ the cheater here!"

Meanwhile, in your rage, the four teens whom had all been solely focused on All Might's fight, were left puzzled at your words. Worlds... Nen... None of it made sense to them. Who exactly _were_ you, besides some latecomer student?

The hand-man only picked at his neck even more. "Kurogiri... _deal with her._"

"Young Freecs, get away from them!"

You didn't need to be told twice, backing up before Kurogiri could try to do anything. If it came to a fight, would you be able to handle him? Katsuki had managed to land a hit, meaning somewhere, Kurogiri had a solid body, but you debated if you'd be able to avoid being caught or not. You were aware that one wrong move could mean your capture. Why did they even _want_ to capture you? Because of your nen? Because of the mysterious user behind the League?

You weren't sure, but didn't have time to think or ask as gunshots rang out throughout the area. You flinched instinctively, nen flaring out around you, but the projectiles weren't aimed at you. Four shots had hit the hand man, one in each limb, and Kurogiri had quickly wrapped around him before both men disappeared. The last thing you saw of him were his red eyes, seething with rage.

Then they were gone.

Exhaustion rolled over you, and you fell to your knees, not realizing just how much energy you had exerted until now. _Damn it...! I was so close!_

Somebody had thrown your arm around their shoulder, and you looked up to see Eijirou, who flashed you a toothy grin. Despite that, you could see the worry as he helped you up, and you tried to return his grin shakily.

"I'm fine, Eijirou... Just tired. I think I expended more energy than I meant to, haha!" Your laugh was airy but obviously lacking your usual energy, and he shrugged it off, slowly walking. You looked back, only to see a wall separating you all from All Might and Izuku. You could ask about it later, but for now, you wanted desperately to get home and sleep.

Jerking yourself away from Eijirou and nearly collapsing, you looked around frantically. "Aizawa! Where is he? Is he okay?!" You were frantic, having forgot about your teacher and guardian, and Eijirou glanced up and over to where two of your classmates stood, his own face crestfallen. A stretcher had been brought out, with Aizawa being set upon it, and you ignored his protests to run up the stairs and over to him. Ignoring the burning in your legs, you used your nen for one last time, jumping up the rest of the stairs.

"Aizawa!"

It was gruesome. They had put a breathing mask over his face as they quickly wheeled him outside, but he looked awful. A large gash was on his face, blood everywhere, but his arm was the most disturbing, the skin having been eaten away completely to where you could see the muscle. You had seen some pretty gruesome stuff (after all, there _was_ some guy on Greed Island going around and blowing up and imploding people...), but you couldn't control the way your breath hitched at the sight of it.

Aizawa...

That man would pay, other nen user be damned! Good or bad, you couldn't care less about those labels, but he had hurt one of the few people who knew your secret and had given you a place to stay. 

A hand was placed on your shoulder and your head snapped up to meet the gaze of the girl with a brown bob, one whom you recognized as one of your classmates. "Don't worry, [Y/n]-chan! Him and Thirteen-sensei will be okay! They're pro heroes, after all!" Your nod came hesitantly, and then she quickly spoke up again, becoming flustered. "Oh, sorry! You said to call you [Y/n], so I hope that's okay!! I'm Uraraka Ochaco!" She removed her hands, waving them around, and a small smile tilted your lips upwards at the carefree behavior.

"It's fine, Ochaco," you told her, before nodding again. "And you're right. They'll be fine, I believe in them!"

You were tired, but it didn't prevent the weary cheer from leaving your mouth as you thrust your fist in the air, everybody else around nodding in agreement. A few of your less-traumatized classmates cheered along with you, and you finally looked back over the stadium. With the arrival of pro-heroes, all of the villains were being apprehended, the remaining students that had been scattered being brought back to the entrance in varying degrees of worn-out states. You were glad, at the least, that everybody else sustained minimal injury, save for Izuku's obviously broken arm.

Following the pros and your classmates out, you allowed yourself to dwell a bit as everybody was getting checked out. Today had been, while stressful, enlightening. The knowledge that you weren't the only nen user in this world was a twist you hadn't expected, and you couldn't help but wonder just _who_ was here. The hand guy hadn't exactly been very forthcoming on any of the information you needed. Unfortunately, it was looking like you were going to need to look more into this on your own time, and carefully, too - in a world so strict on its laws and rule-following, it would be hard to get the information about the League of Villains that you needed without breaking any boundaries.

You sighed. More than ever did you miss your world, where you could basically do anything and didn't need either parental permission or worry about whether you were doing anything illegal.

"Oi. New girl."

Your response was automatic. "It's [Y/n]," you said blandly, turning around to meet the angry gaze of Katsuki, who had dismissed your name as if it was nothing more than an annoying pest. You were too busy in your own thoughts to really want to pester or tease Katsuki right now, and you had just opened your mouth to tell him to buzz off, but he beat you to it, his words harsh.

"I don't care. What the hell were you and that hand fucker going on about back there? 'World', _hah_?"

Oh shit. You were _so_ not ready for this conversation, and you noticed the two boys nearby who were trying their best to eavesdrop on the conversation. Of course it'd be Katsuki who'd be direct about it, though.

In an attempt to remain neutral and casual, you raised an eyebrow at him, pretending like you were confused. "Uh, did you hit your head? If I knew what that hand guy wanted, I'd be telling the pros, not standing here, wasting my time and talking to you."

"WHAT did you say, you fucking --"

Yeah, no, you weren't going to deal with this right now. Waving him away as dismissive as he acted when you told him your name, you turned away and started to head back to where the rest of your class was. "Aaaand I'm done talking to you. Come find me in about 10 years, when you've learned to chill the fuck out."

Ignoring the glare that was burning into your very soul, you plastered a smile on your face, agreeing to head over to the nurse's office to go get checked out with the other students, leaving Bakugou Katsuki and the other two who were there to witness the exchange wondering as to what exactly was going on. Unbeknownst to you, the cogs in your classmates' heads were turning viciously, already beginning to unravel the secret that kept your existence safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that i'm done uploading everything from quotev, updates should come regularly every wednesday/thursday! yay!


	11. Spreading Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On your day off, you go to have an important conversation with Detective Tsukauchi. Unfortunately, the conversation doesn't really go the way he wants it to go as you stay adamant in your beliefs.

You were late. Having spent the morning, refusing to leave Aizawa's side in the hospital, time had passed by quickly. Before you knew it, it was already past 1, and now you were rushing to get around to go to the cafe you had promised Detective Tsukauchi to meet up at.

After the attack at USJ yesterday, all class 1-A students had been questioned, including you. Apparently a lot of students saw your efforts to fight, and you were commended for your bravery and diligence by several pros. On top of that, though, you were scolded for disobeying a direct order from a pro-hero and one of your teachers, the threat of suspension looming over your head until Nezu had stepped in, saying there was no need for you to get in trouble for doing what was right. His reasoning was that you saw somebody in trouble, and acted to help, something a "true" hero would do. While it wasn't really why you had burst in, you thanked him anyways, grateful he had fished you out of trouble. After all, it's not like you could explain that there was somebody from a different dimension on the villains' side, somebody who may or may not be affiliated with you.

After the line of questioning, you were sent to Recovery Girl, the school's nurse. There was no need to heal you. Whatever bruises and scrapes you had accumulated, you healed quickly yourself, and unfortunately she couldn't replenish your stamina. With a lollipop and a pat on the head, you were told to go home and get some rest.

As if.

As soon as you were dismissed from U.A., you had went straight to the hospital, having arrived right when Aizawa had gotten out of surgery. He was all wrapped up like a mummy, and unconscious when you got there, but he was stable. He was _safe_. You hadn't been here for long, but you regarded Aizawa almost as a father figure, and weren't sure what exactly you would have done if it had been fatal. After all... Wasn't it your fault that you hadn't backed him up? If you had... You could have prevented this. Right?

You wound up spending the night at the hospital. Even though the nurses insisted that visiting hours were over, they didn't make any attempt to remove you from the room. You knew they pitied you, but you didn't care as long as they didn't make you leave. Throughout the next morning, you waited around, hoping for updates and for Aizawa to wake up, but he didn't, and eventually you were forced to leave and head back to your shared apartment to freshen up before your meeting.

Because of the attack on U.A., school was cancelled for the next two days. The brief reprieve was welcomed, honestly. You were quick to learn that school was definitely not your forte. You just were not a fan.

However, you couldn't rest - the night before, you had received a call from Detective Tsukauchi asking if you two could meet up today and go over how you're adjusting and the attack on USJ. As your otherworldly secret was kept from most law enforcement and pros, not many people could handle your information with care. You had relayed the best you could to All Might and Nezu, but Tsukauchi had requested to hear it from you directly.

Which... led you to now, in a small cafe.

"Ah, Miss [Y/n]. Over here."

At the sound of your name, you found the plain-looking detective and sat across from him, apologizing profusely for your tardiness as he held up a hand. "It's fine, I understand a lot has happened."

Unsure, you just nodded. Neither of you said anything as the server came over to grab drink orders, and you immediately ordered a parfait with your favorite fruit, assuming the detective would pay for it. You certainly weren't going to.

When the waitress left again, Tsukauchi spoke up, his voice kind. "Miss [Y/n], it's been only a week since you've been here, and things have been... _lively_, to say the least. Are you, um, adjusting well here?"

You felt bad for him. It was a semi-awkward situation, and he definitely didn't seem to know how to keep up a casual conversation with you. That was fine, you figured you could do enough talking for the both of you.

Leaning back in your chair, you ran a hand through slightly tangled [h/c] hair, your fingers gently working through the knots you didn't get when getting ready this morning. "Doesn't feel like it's been a week, but... I dunno. It's so different. Some of it is good different, but I don't really like this world, honestly," you confessed, meeting his eyes with a solemn look on your face. "All of these rules and regulations are so _stiff._ Not to mention unfair. This whole hero versus villain business just seems really two-dimensional. And then there are vigilantes, who try to do the right thing but get in trouble!"

You weren't done rambling as Tsukauchi listened patiently. "Did you know I can't just go buy a ticket to go to another country? Because I'm not considered an adult here, I have to either wait a couple years or have my parents' consent. What's up with that? Back in my world, Gon and Killua and I could do whatever we wanted, and they're only 13 right now! We never needed a parent's permission. So I don't know. There are too many rules and laws to follow, and it's frustrating."

Done with your rant, you crossed your arms and huffed, your face becoming even more serious as you looked Tsukauchi squarely in the eyes. "At USJ yesterday... Those guys were trying to hurt us, and we weren't even allowed to fight back at all. I got in trouble for protecting myself and my friends. I didn't even _hurt_ anybody. Do you realize how fucking stupid that is?"

The poor detective, who had just listened to your onslaught of aggravated words, held his hands up in a placating manner. "I know it's different here than your own world, and it's probably overwhelming, but until you can get back, you can't stand out. I understand it's frustrating to you, but it's for your own safety. Do you understand?"

He was so nice that it made it hard to be mad at him, and you bitterly nodded, pursing your lips in a show of irritation. "I know. I know it's to keep me safe. But the villains already know about me, so what's the point?"

"The point is that it's still not widely known. If it gets out that you're from... another world... you'll never have a moment of privacy. The media will be after you, every villain will be after you. You won't be able to move freely at all." You winced at that last part, at the thought of being cooped up somewhere, and Tsukauchi caught on, matching your eyes with a serious look of his own. "This isn't a game here. You could have died back there from fighting those villains. They wouldn't hesitate to kill you, even if you're a child--"

"I'm not a child!" Your voice came out louder and harsher than you meant, and you shrunk slightly as some of the cafe's visitors glanced over at the two of you. "I'm not a child," you repeated, more quietly. "I've been in more dangerous situations than you can probably imagine. This League of Villains or whatever is _nothing_ compared to the Phantom Troupe. They don't scare me."

Tsukauchi shook his head, looking somewhat exasperated at your outburst. "I think you're underestimating the people of our world, Miss [Y/n]. I understand your abilities are versatile, but quirks here can be just as dangerous. If you get too sure of yourself, the next time you meet villains, you might not make it. Do you understand? That's why it's important for you to lay low and not shout about 'nen' and 'worlds' when fighting."

Wincing, you asked, "You heard about that?"

Tsukauchi chuckled. "All Might was there, too. Your classmates should drop it and not bother you about it, so don't worry." You nodded, and it was at this time the waitress came back, placing a large parfait filled with your favorite fruit to the top. Immediately, you started to dig in, thanking the waitress and then Tsukauchi, who only watched you with an amused look on his face.

Deciding to steer the conversation away from your questionable morality and your clear aggravation with this world, Tsukauchi spoke up again. "Miss [Y/n]... I heard what happened at USJ from All Might, but I'd like to hear your side. What exactly happened between you and Shigaraki Tomura?"

You swallowed thickly, tilting your head to the side in confusion. "Who?"

"Shigaraki Tomura. He is the apparent leader of the League of Villains."

". . . Hand guy?"

Tsukauchi was exasperated, but nodded. "Yes. He led the entire operation, and, according to All Might, targeted you specifically."

Shoveling another bite of parfait into your mouth, you nodded in agreement, chewing for a moment before swallowing. "I don't know what all you were told, but I'm not the only one here. There's a nen user on their side, and I have a feeling it's somebody I know," you told the detective, stirring around the parfait in thought. "That weird creature that All Might knocked out of USJ... I think its name was Nomu? Either way, it had nen infused in it."

At your words, Tsukauchi hummed, a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you think this Nomu was from your world?"

"No." Your answer was quick and decisive, and you took a smaller bite of your dessert. "This nen was different. As if it was jammed into the creature. I don't think the people here normally have the capacity for nen, because you all feel different. But, like, if that's the case, that means somebody else jammed that nen into the creature."

"And that's why you believe somebody else from your world is here."

"Mhm!" You wished you could offer suggestions, but right now you had a very limited list, and that list only consisted of people you knew _weren't_ involved. That, unfortunately, meant that you were nowhere in your own investigation. "Whoever it is, filled in Tomura or whatever on me being here, because as soon as I attacked Nomu, they knew who I was and where I was from. They wanted to take me."

Your casual news shocked Tsukauchi, a disturbed look on his face, and you waved your hand around dismissively. "I won't go with them, don't worry. I don't really appreciate that they attacked me or my friends, and _especially_ that they hurt Aizawa so bad. But I'm super curious as to who that other nen user is..."

Pouting, you rested your head onto the table, dramatically moping. "I just want to go home, and this nen user could be the key! If I can just _find_ them--"

"No." This time, it was Tsukauchi who answered quickly, cutting off your musing as you sat back up. He was stern, his eyes sharp. "You _cannot_ seek out the League of Villains. You understand that if they get you, you might not be able to come back. Leave this investigation to the pros, [Y/n]." His words came out harsh, and while you could understand that he just was thinking of your well-being, you were somewhat pissed off that he didn't trust you to be able to do this. You doubted anything you could say would change his mind, though, and so you sighed, lips thinning.

Crossing your fingers underneath the table, you reluctantly nodded. "I guess. But if it gets worse... This involves me directly, now, and I have every right to seek out answers, don't I?"

You could tell that wasn't what Tsukauchi wanted to hear, and he shook his head, pressing on. "_Promise_. Promise you'll drop this."

Promise? You couldn't make a promise you couldn't keep. You _couldn't_ drop this. Choosing to not say that, you pretended to agree, relenting for the time being. "Alright, alright. But if they confront _me_, I'm not just backing down. Okay?"

Poor Tsukauchi, you could tell you were driving him nuts, and he raked his hand across the top of his head. You were severely stressing him out. "Just stay safe, Miss [Y/n]. We only want to keep you safe until you can get back to your own world."

You didn't doubt that, and instead you nodded grimly, stretching your arms above your head and faking a dramatic yawn. "Sorry," you apologized somewhat flatly, "I don't think I got a lot of sleep last night, staying at the hospital and all. I should probably head back so I can get some actual rest and clean up the apartment for when Aizawa gets back," you said, before plastering a bright smile on your face to appease the detective. "If I find out anything else, I'll let you know! So do the same for me! Thanks for paying, bye!"

Quickly zooming out of the cafe, you fished out your phone, heading back to the apartment before Tsukauchi could try and stop you or ask any other questions. Like _hell_ you were going to sit back and do nothing. Honestly, that detective was crazy. As much as you appreciated everything he had done for you, you didn't like that they were all still treating you like some little kid who had no clue as to what she was doing. 

One way or another, you _would_ find out who that nen user was. 

Making it home, you cringed at the state the apartment was in, starting to slowly pick things up and at least make it look _somewhat_ livable. It had only been a day since Aizawa was gone, but from that day you hadn't really bothered to do anything. Granted, it wasn't the tidiest place to begin with, but if Aizawa saw this mess... You could already imagine his irritated scolding at your laziness.

Once the apartment was somewhat decent, you dug around until you found a spare notebook, uncapping a red pen that you had found and sitting at the dining room table. In your own written language, you wrote down "OPERATION: HOME", before creating bullet points to note down the information you knew so far. It wasn't a lot, but your investigation had to start somewhere!

By the time you were finished jotting down notes, a suspect list, and what little you knew of the League of Villains and its leader, it was late, and you were just getting ready to hit the hay when the door opened slowly.

"Huh?"

Peeping your head out, your eyes lit up immediately at the figure in the doorway, and you ran to hug him.

"Aizawa! You're okay!"

Your teacher grunted, awkwardly patting you on the head with what little mobility he had, and you noticed the figure behind him. "Oh, you're Present Mic!"

Present Mic, who was also your English teacher, seemed just as surprised to see you just as you were to see him as he helped Aizawa inside. "Shouta, you have a kid?!" Present Mic exclaimed, at the same time you asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Both of you, shut up."

You and Present Mic both laughed at Aizawa's predictably grumpy nature, and for the first time today you managed to relax, finally able to see your guardian. Seeing him hobble around comforted you that he would be fine, and you closed the door behind the two, goofy smile on your face.

Everything would be fine, and for now, that's all you could hold on to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all this story is on chapter 37 on quotev but i'll start uploading all of the chapters here ASAP lol


	12. Jet Set Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With school starting up again, you've got no time to rest at the announcement of the school sport's festival. Unfortunately, sport's festivals in this world are VERY different.

School was off for one more day before you all had to get back to the daily grind. As much as you wanted to go out and explore, and try to make a break in your investigation, you were stuck at the house with Aizawa, equal parts taking care of him (much to his dismay, as he found out the hard way that you _cannot_ cook) and studying. It was Aizawa who had pointed out that if you wanted to stay in U.A., you couldn't afford to slack off, and so you spent your day practicing writing in Japanese. You weren't _perfect_, but now that you got the hang of the katakana alphabet, writing in kanji and hiragana became easier for you. It was sloppy, but at least you could understand the words.

The morning school was supposed to be back in session, you _tried_ to convince Aizawa to stay home to no avail. Apparently looking like a literal mummy (who eerily reminded you of one of the Phantom Troupe members) was not going to stop the man from fulfilling his duty as a teacher, and so after you got ready, the two of you left for campus. He had received tons of odd looks, but you stuck by him just in case something were to happen.

Thankfully, your trip to school went off without a hitch.

Having had to get to school earlier, you met up with Nejire in the classroom where your tutoring sessions were going to take place, the blue-haired teen already waiting patiently for you as she read a book. When you walked in, she quickly got up, bouncing over and pulling you in for a tight hug with your head pressed into her chest.

"Ah, [Y/n]-chan! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Trying to not suffocate, you gave her a quick hug before pushing her away, your face reddening. And you thought Aunt Mito had a grip..!

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. You heard what happened at the USJ?"

Nejire nodded, tilting her head to the side in a manner that made her seem almost younger than you. "Hm, I think everybody has! It's common knowledge that Class 1-A was attacked by villains. I'm certain you all will be scoped out today." You had no clue what she was talking about, honestly, and she laughed at your confused face as the two of you sat down. "The Sport's Festival. U.A. is going to go ahead with it, and since your class survived a villain attack, you all will probably be considered the biggest contenders."

That added on explanation didn't really help you either, but Nejire was apparently not going to explain any further. "I'm sure your teacher will explain it to you today. Either way, we should probably get to work, [Y/n]-chan. You have a lot to learn~!"

Groaning, you nodded as Nejire went further over the alphabet with you, before deeming you decent enough for the time being to move on to Japan's history.

The hour went by fast, and as you bid Nejire goodbye, you quickly shoved your stuff in your bag, your head hurting. As much as you loved Nejire, she seemed to love trying to cram as much information into your head as possible, effectively giving you a massive headache. You were only one person! How did she expect you to remember all of Japan's history in the span of 1 hour?!

Rubbing the sides of your forehead, you started to make your way to your classroom, weaving through the other students to the best of your ability. The hallways were wide, but with everybody making their ways to their respective classes, it seemed somewhat crazy. That's why it wasn't really your fault as to what happened next.

"Oof!"

You hadn't realized how much force you had been putting in your "brisk walking pace" (you were _not_ running, just... walking fast!), and unfortunately, somebody else hadn't been given much time to dodge as you collided into him. Both of you fell onto the ground harshly, the guy who was underneath you hitting his head on the tiled floor with a loud _thunk_. Your head had collided into the person's chest, and you winced, immediately using your arms to push yourself up so you were hovering over him.

"I am so sorry!"

He was cute, but not somebody you had seen before, so clearly not one of your classmates. He had messy, purple hair that looked like it had never been styled, and eye bags that made you wonder if this guy got any sleep. Like, at _all_. When he opened his eyes, you noticed they matched his hair, and a light blush adorned his face when he saw how close you face was to his. For a moment, he said nothing.

"Um, are you okay?!"

He blinked slowly, before muttering, "get off," in which you did immediately, bowing and apologizing right away. You offered a hand to help him up, but he got up by himself, rubbing the back of his head slowly. Whether in annoyance or pain, you weren't sure, but you felt like it was your duty to help this guy out. After all, you had been the one to knock him over!

Bowing one more time, you grabbed onto his hand, dragging him along towards the nurse's office as protests rose from his lips. "You have to get your head checked out, what if you have a concussion?!"

"Wouldn't it be your fault?"

You nearly stumbled at the straight-forward question, floundering for words. He shook his head, but decided to go along with your antics thankfully as you brought him to Recovery Girl's office.

"Ah, Freeccs, who do you have here?"

"Uh... Um..."

Thankfully, he supplied his name, as you had no clue as to who he was. "I'm Shinsou Hitoshi, ma'am." After that, he rubbed the back of his head, untangling your hand from his as the familiar pink hue rose to his cheeks again. "She ran into me and wanted me to get my head checked out."

"It was an accident!" You protested, and Recovery Girl just chuckled, ushering Hitoshi over and probing his head as you stood by awkwardly. You didn't interrupt as she asked him questions, before putting a kiss on his forehead and declaring him good to go. Not before, of course, telling you to be more careful and aware of your surroundings, in which you bashfully agreed, feeling a bit embarrassed from being called out.

"Again, I am so sorry, Hitoshi," you apologized, before perking up. "Hey, can I call you Toshi? I'm [Y/n], by the way! I was kind of in a rush, but maybe it's good, because I ran into you! I'm supposed to make new friends, so we can be friends now, right?"

The poor teen seemed off put by both your blatant friendliness and by your constant stream of questions, and he averted his eyes, wondering what exactly you were up to. Most people tended to avoid him - that much didn't really change from him leaving his school and coming here. Was it possible you would do the same if you found out about his quirk? Your friendliness, while off-putting, was a welcome change. Not that he would say anything.

"I - Call me Shinsou. I don't even know you." He didn't mean to stumble over his words, and you shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hitoshi it is, then! Anyways, what class - "

Interrupting your words was the bell, signifying that class was starting, causing you to jump in alarm. "Ah, I'll talk to you later, it was nice meeting you, Hitoshi! Bye bye!"

With that said, you hauled ass out of there, leaving behind the purple-haired teen in a state of confusion in Recovery Girl's office, wondering what the hell just happened. You had no doubt you'd see him later, but for now, you had to get to class before Aizawa _once again_ got onto your ass about being late.

It was a miracle you made it to the classroom before your teacher, and you quickly sat down in a huff just as the door opened, revealing said teacher as he waddled in like a monster out of some b-rated horror movie, everybody exclaiming in shock.

"Aizawa-sensei, should you be back so soon?!"

"He really looks dead . . . "

Interrupting the throng of voices that arose from your class, Aizawa spoke up. "Quiet down. I have an important announcement to make." It was effective in getting everybody to quiet down, and you shifted in your seat. Was it the sport's festival? "I'd like to take a moment to discuss the upcoming sport's festival."

Immediately voices piped up again, questioning as to whether it was a wise idea to continue on with the sport's festival, and Aizawa quickly hushed them all.

"But sensei, what about the villain attack?" Mina asked, seeming a bit confused that this was still a thing, and you inwardly cursed her. _Don't give him second thoughts, I want to see how this goes!_

"U.A. has decided that it would be best to move forward with the sport's festival to show that we are strong and can handle a crisis," Aizawa told everybody. His voice was a little bit muffled from the bandages, but still clear enough for everybody to hear. Nonetheless, you leaned forward, excited. While it wasn't exactly the action you usually craved, sports were a fun way to let loose and have fun, and with everything that happened a few days ago, letting loose was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Continuing on, Aizawa said, "You all should think about the opportunity that is being presented to you. The U.A. Sport's Festival, as you all know, has taken the place of the Olympics over the past few years. Everybody will be tuned in, including pro-heroes from around the country."

Conversations bubbled up, everybody clearly excited, and Momo spoke up among the excited chatter. "The pros will surely be scouting us all based on our performance!"

You tilted your head, humming. "Scouting... For, like, job opportunities?" you asked, furrowing your eyebrows. Why would they scout based off of sports performances? What did that have to do with being a hero??

Hearing your question, Momo turned around and nodded. "Yes, for the chance to work at a pro agency."

"Wait a minute, [Y/n]-chan, have you never heard of the sport's festival?"

The question came from Hanta and you pressed your lips together in a line, trying to think of a good response to that. Apparently this was a big deal that everybody knew about. Everybody except you, apparently. "Uhhhhhh, I don't think that's important," you quickly deflected, and Aizawa spoke up again, saving the day and you from being asked any more nosy questions.

"Naturally, interning at a pro-hero's agency will grant you more experience and popularity among civilians. This chance only comes once a year, giving you three chances to prove yourself to the pros before you graduate U.A. and start off your careers. If you're going to be a hero, this is the one event you cannot miss!"

After his little speech, conversation broke out again, everybody equal parts excited and nervous. For the most part, you just eavesdropped, wondering what kind of sports you all would be playing. You really hoped for dodge ball, as that was such a fun game to play! You'd annihilate _everyone_.

Ochaco seemed especially determined, her fist clenching tightly as she faced your classmates. "Everybody... let's do our best!"

"YEAH!"

The rest of class had passed by quickly, with you not really paying much attention to your surroundings or classmates (as awful as that seemed). You had two weeks to prepare for the sports festival. While you were confident in your athletic ability, you wondered if it would be good to brush up on your skills a bit. Who knew what sports they were going to have, after all! Anyways, since "moving" here, you had been slacking off a bit on your training...

Lost in your own thoughts and plans about the sports festival, you had nearly missed the commotion going on outside your classroom, looking up only to meet a crowd of people blocking your way out.

"E-eh?! What's this?"

"W-what's going on?!" Ochaco parroted your question, and interested you stood up, peering over your classmates to try and get a better look at the mess of people gathered.

Everybody shared your guys' confusion, Iida chopping his arm down in a motion that stopped at 90 degrees. It was oddly satisfying and perfect to watch, honestly. "What business do you all have with Class 1-A?"

Walking forward and brusquely shoving past you in a way that made an indignant "hey!" leave your mouth was Katsuki, who was entirely unimpressed with the entire situation. "They're scouting out the competition, dumbass. We're the ones who made it out the of the villains' attack."

Fearless of the students that were blocking your guys' only exit, Katsuki continued to walk forward. "There's no point in doing any of that. Out of my way, extras."

At his words, you groaned, and you could see poor Izuku look like he was about to have an aneurysm as Iida's scolding fell on deaf ears. You don't know why the class president tried; you doubted Katsuki has ever actually listened to advice or reprimands his entire life.

A familiar voice that wasn't a part of your class spoke out among the sea of people, and you perked up, peering over Iida's shoulder. "I came to see what this famous Class 1-A was like, but you all seem pretty arrogant. Are all the students enrolled in the hero course like this?"

Everybody else groaned in the class as you all realized that Katsuki was giving everybody literally the worst impression in existence, but you were too preoccupied with seeing your new friend again. "Hitoshi! Hitoshi! It's me!" Jumping up and down, you waved at Hitoshi, all smiles and cheer, and you watched as his tired gaze stopped on you, widening slightly. You wondered if he knew you were in Class 1-A. Probably not, given his reaction.

Either way, he didn't acknowledge any more than that, turning back to Katsuki who stood in the forefront. "Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. There are quite a few people enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. This school has left those of us a chance - considering the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course." You weren't entirely sure about the school's politics, but Hitoshi kept talking, clearly on a roll with his little monologue. "And it seems they might transfer people out. Scouting out the enemy? I came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from underneath you. This... is a declaration of war."

Honestly, that sounded cool and you had to give Hitoshi credit, especially as he met Katsuki's glare with an unwavering glare of his own. Everybody else, however, seemed perturbed. After all, Katsuki had basically made enemies of all of the other classes, and you spoke up, pursing your lips. As much as Hitoshi was your friend... "Chill out, everybody. We made it into the hero course for a reason, but if we want to stay here, that means we have to give it our all!"

You gave your friends a thumbs up, and Izuku nodded, still clearly unsure as somebody else pushed their way to the center of the crowd.

"Hey, hey! I'm from Class 1-B next door!" Popping up, a guy with silver hair nearly startled you. "I heard you fought against villains so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself!!"

This guy exuded energy, and you had to wonder why there were so many interesting people out to get you all all of a sudden. Was Katsuki _really_ that aggravating to everybody around him, or was Class A just a sore spot for every other class in your year?

The silver guy was still shouting, but it was clear your blond classmate had enough of this as he started to walk away, much to the guy's irritation. He made a move to leave, and Eijirou walked forward. "Wait a minute, Bakugou, what are you going to do about this?! It's your fault everybody's hating on us!"

You nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, if you hadn't opened your big mouth, things wouldn't be so bad!"

"It doesn't matter," Katsuki said, cutting you off quickly as he glanced back. "It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top."

_Okay, that was pretty damn cool._

As Katsuki left the room, you weren't the only one left thinking that as Eijirou literally teared up at the blond's statement. "That's so simple and manly!"

"The top, huh..? There's truth in that."

It seemed that Katsuki's words had broken the trance your classmates were in as they all started to talk, some clearly inspired by Katsuki's words, and others the exact opposite, fretting over what this would mean for you all. You were a part of the former group, realizing that Katsuki's words held truth. While you didn't aspire to be a hero by any means, and didn't have plans on staying in this world for too long, that didn't mean you should slack off. It especially wouldn't be fair if everybody but you gave their all! In the short time you have known your classmates, you have come to respect them, and for you, doing your best to succeed was how you were going to show that respect.

Grinning to yourself, you fist pumped, catching the people around you off guard as you cheered. "I'm going to give it my absolute all, too!"

The others around you smiled at your enthusiasm, and Momo gave you an appreciative smile. "That's right, we cannot let this deter us. As students of U.A., we must not be daunted, and instead should do our best to get to the top spot during the sports festival." You nodded in agreement with Momo, and this helped loosen the more stressed ones up as everybody started to gather their things and push past the rest of the students.

You had a feeling the next two weeks were going to fly by fast, so you were just going to have to give it your all to prepare!


	13. The Magician's Baile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confiding in Izuku, you figure it's safe if one other person found out your abilities to help you think up a special move. Peace never seems to last, though, and you run into a familiar face.

So apparently you had _totally_ pegged the sports festival wrong. After getting home and pestering Aizawa, he had realized you were clueless about how U.A.'s sports festival worked and sat you down, making you watch videos of previous years. It definitely gave you a better understanding of what to expect, and while you were a bit disappointed that this pretty much meant that you wouldn't be doing any dodge ball, the thought of fighting one-on-one against your classmates sounded amazing! You had seen some of their quirks, and you knew that it would provide a great challenge for you.

You were rearing to go, but Aizawa clearly wasn't done with you yet. "You have to understand that everything will be broadcast on live television. You can't make a mistake with your... _nen_. You have to stay within the parameters of your "quirk", do you understand?"

Groaning dramatically, you rolled your eyes but nodded. "Yeah yeah, I got it, _dad_. I've admitted defeat and will only use enhancer abilities. Does that sound good?"

If you could see Aizawa's face underneath the bandages, you were sure that it was unamused with your behavior, but he nodded anyways. "Just don't do anything stupid. I was filled in on what happened back at USJ, and the last thing we need right now is to attract the attention of those punks." You couldn't find it in yourself to be irritated with the lecture. After all, Aizawa had helped you a lot and was only looking out for you. You really appreciated everything he had done and is still doing for you, and so when you next spoke, you made sure to convey your sincerity.

"I won't do anything reckless, you have my word."

Of course, now that you knew the true nature of U.A.'s sports festival, though, you needed a new game plan. Just training wasn't going to work - you were going to need to start working on your nen again, and without a teacher or anybody to guide you, you knew you were in for a long two weeks. Everybody else was sure to hone in on their quirks to gather some tricks up their sleeves. If you didn't do the same, you stood the chance of being left in the dust, and that wasn't a chance you could take.

However... you could only come up with nothing.

Currently sitting in a cafe, you were making an attempt to write down ideas. You weren't usually one to write, but it was a good way to practice writing in Japanese as well as get your thoughts in order (although you made sure to put little side notes in your own written language to help you understand). You had an iced hot chocolate that was currently growing warmer the more time you spent ignoring the drink and glaring down at the notebook.

Even just one idea would help! _Something_ that would help you come up with a better ability. Killua had electricity, and Gon had his Jajanken, but you? You had pure, unbridled spite and determination. That was it. Nothing cool, nothing fancy, and there was _no_ way you would win the sports festival if you didn't have a trick or two up your own sleeves.

Leaning back in your chair, you pouted, the pen you were holding clattering to the table. Why was this so much harder than you expected?! What you would _give_ to have Bisky back to help guide you.

"[Y-Y/n]-chan?"

Upon hearing your name you glanced up, [e/c] meeting timid green. Seeing the familiar face of your classmate, you offered a somewhat tight smile, frustration still gnawing at you at your lack of ideas.

"Sit down! I'm here by myself anyways," you said, gesturing to the seat across from you. Seeing Izuku was a surprise, but a nice one; you definitely needed a break from the scribbled mess that was on your notebook right now. "So what are you doing here?"

Izuku scratched the back of his neck but sat down, averting his gaze quickly. "I, ah, wanted to pick up a pastry for my mom..."

You nodded, relaxing a little bit more at the cute reason. With a sigh, you closed your notebook, choosing to finally focus on the iced chocolate. The ice had actually all melted by now, but it didn't stop you from sucking down the sweet drink. "That's nice of you!" you told him in between sips.

Apparently there was more, though. The freckled teen fidgeted in his seat for a moment, and you raised an eyebrow as he looked like he was mustering up the courage to ask you something. Finally, he managed to do it, but mumbled so low that you could barely hear him as you leaned forward, hoping to catch it.

"Could you repeat that? You're speaking pretty quiet."

Izuku gulped, but managed to speak up. Just watching how nervous he was was giving _you_ anxiety. "I just had a question to ask, but, ah, you don't have to answer it! It's sort of personal..."

Curiosity won over any confusion or concern you might have, and you tilted your head to the side. "Well? What's up?"

Fidgeting some more, Izuku finally looked at you again, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Well, back at the USJ..." Oh no. "You seemed to recognize that creature. And then, you and Shigaraki had a weird conversation..." He seemed worried, and it only took you a moment to realize why as you flailed your arms about, realizing the conclusion he was coming towards.

"A-ah, I'm not with them, if that's what you're asking!"

Izuku seemed just as startled, becoming embarrassed by your outburst as his face flushed red. "No! That's not what I-I meant!" The reassurance relaxed you, and seeing you calm down, Izuku continued to speak. "It's just... I heard a bit of your conversation with Shigaraki, and it was confusing. You were talking about 'nen', and 'worlds'..."

That wasn't good either, but you'd rather Izuku think you were some weirdo than a jerk who betrays their friends, and you leaned back, thoughtful. If it was up to you, you would honestly just tell him right off the bat. You didn't like keeping secrets or lying to your friends. It wasn't fair, not to mention way too exhausting to keep up the appearances. It _wasn't_ up to you, though. Nezu, Aizawa, and Detective Tsukauchi had all made it very clear that it was for your own safety to keep your identity a secret.

_But the villains already know... so telling a friend wouldn't hurt, right?_

You were unsure of what to do. Aizawa would _definitely_ murder you if he found out you were going around, blabbing your secret, but you had to get it out! Besides, you were quick to notice that Izuku was quick-thinking in battle. You could use this opportunity to your advantage!

Elbows on the table, you leaned forward, your chin resting on your knuckles. "I don't mind telling you under two conditions," you proposed, and Izuku nodded quickly, surprised that you were actually going to talk about it. "One, you can't tell _anybody_. Seriously, this has to stay a secret!"

The curly-haired boy nodded. After all, he knew better than anybody about life-altering secrets. "Two, you have to help me with something. I'm at a dead end, and could really use your brain."

This one wasn't as clear-cut, but after a moment, Izuku nodded again, determination setting on his face.

You stood up, tucking the notebook underneath your arm as you jerked your head over to the counter, grim smile on your face. "Go grab that pastry and then we can go talk somewhere. I can't risk anybody eavesdropping." With your drink already paid for, you headed towards the door, heart hammering violently at the fact that you were about to let somebody else in on your secret.

"W-what?!"

The two of you sat on the swings in an empty park, the cool breeze welcome against your skin. Especially now, after you had told Izuku _everything_. You spared no detail, knowing that if you were going to enlist his help, he had to know the whole story - your origins, Greed Island, how you got here, nen, the mysterious nen user. _Everything_.

You felt a bit bad. Izuku's face was stark white, his freckles popping out in contrast, and you couldn't help but be amused at the same time. It was certainly a lot to drop on him, but it felt like you had gotten a weight off your chest. You didn't realize that keeping a secret this big from people you considered your friends was weighing you down so much, but now you felt freer with the fact that at least somebody else in your class knew. Somebody who wasn't an adult trying to monitor your every move.

Nodding, you looked up at the cloudy sky. "Yep," you responded, popping the 'p' dramatically. "I know it seems crazy, but it's true. Besides you, Principal Nezu, Aizawa, and All Might know."

"All Might, too?!"

You nodded again, and opted not to say anything. Not that it mattered, because Izuku was speaking again, still reeling at the information you just dumped onto him. "S-so what did you need help on, then...?"

Ah, it was time. Swiveling around on the swing, your toes barely scraped the ground as you faced him. "The sport's festival! I need to figure out a way to use my nen in a way that will still fit my stupid quirk guidelines. I know we'll be competing against each other, but... I could really use your brain!"

The poor boy hadn't expected you to ask something so big of him, but you pressed on, determined. Grabbing both of his hands, you leaned forward, startling him at the closeness between you two. "W-wh--?!"

"I'll tell you everything I can about nen, but I don't have anybody else to help me, so please, Izuku...!"

You gave him your best puppy dog eyes, which apparently worked as Izuku bobbed his head up and down, face reddening. At his agreement, you cheered, leaping off the swing and tackling him in a hug, knocking the poor boy off his own swing and onto the ground.

"Gh--!"

"Oh, sorry!"

You got up off him, taking his hand and yanking him to his feet, which didn't help too much as he stumbled to his feet. Even without nen, you sported some serious muscles, and Izuku muttered something under his breath concerning your strength. You just brushed it off as if you were brushing the dirt off your clothes.

Letting him gather his thoughts, you stretched your arms above you. "I know you can't train with me for the two weeks," you started, "but that's fine. I just need help on figuring out what would be a good way to use my nen, ya know? I can't do a lot of stuff without making people suspicious. In return, I'll answer any questions you have!"

Izuku nodded hesitantly, back to looking thoughtful. "Well, what all can you do with your nen so far?"

"I'm an enhancer, so just strengthening my hits and defense is usually what I do, but... I need more flair," you complained, throwing your arms up in exasperation. "I can also heal extremely fast. I know everybody in class has seen that video of me falling from the sky and just hasn't mentioned it to me. That was two days before I showed up at U.A."

"T-two days!?"

It was very easy to surprise your friend, it seemed, and you nodded, becoming thoughtful yourself. "Yes... I'm not really sure myself how I healed so fast, but I've been practicing healing myself and others as a part of my ability, by enhancing the cell regeneration process... If that makes sense?"

Izuku was writing notes furiously in his own notebook, nodding along, and you hummed. "Now to think of it... Your quirk has some serious backlash. You really injured yourself back at USJ." Your words caused him to pause as he frowned, but he chose to not reply, instead writing something else down in his notebook.

"What do you say your quirk is?"

With that, you gave him the rundown on what Nezu and Aizawa told you to say, and for the next couple hours the two of you sat in the park, throwing ideas back and forth. You were right to trust Izuku - he had a gold mine of both information and ideas for you to try out, and while you couldn't try them all out at the park lest you risk a passerby seeing (since, after all, public quirk usage was illegal), you wrote down every idea with excitement and the promise to let him know how it all works out. The two of you wound up exchanging numbers before parting ways, you skipping happily back to Aizawa's apartment.

It was a bit of a walk, and soon the sun had set, streetlights turning on to illuminate the empty roads. So wrapped up in your thoughts and excitement to try out all of these new moves with your nen, you didn't notice the presence behind you, appearing so quickly. Your ears didn't pick up on the familiar _click clack_ of heels, slow and daunting in their stride.

You did, however, stop when a voice spoke up, a voice familiar and bone-chilling, so much so that you froze exactly where you were, eyes going wide in trepidation. You couldn't move, couldn't bring yourself to turn around, in hopes that it was just some auditory hallucination. You'd welcome that instead of accepting it to be the _real_ thing.

"My, my, if it isn't [Y/n]. I didn't expect to see _you_ here~."

There were a lot of things you didn't expect. You never expected to wind up in another world, you never expected to go to _school_ and get caught up in a "normal" life. Even if you were to expect those things, you would have _never_ expected that the person to find you, the one shot you had at getting back, would be somebody you completely and utterly despised with every drop of blood in your body.

You hadn't realized that you were holding your breath, your heart picking up into a frantic thrum, and you exhaled, breaking the spell of fear that had unexpectedly washed over you. Movements robotic, you finally turned around, your face impassive as you regarded the person before you.

No doubt... It was him in the flesh, a complete and utter fashion catastrophe like always.

"Hisoka."


	14. Each of Their Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The encounter with Hisoka has left you reeling, and before you know it, the time for the U.A. Sport's Festival has arrived. Can you keep the newcomer out of your mind long enough to make it past the first round?

_"Hisoka."_

_He hadn't changed a bit, fiery red hair and an outfit that made you visibly cringe with how tacky it was. Not that you would ever say that. Hisoka may be whimsical and flamboyant, but it didn't change the fact he was dangerous as all hell._

_Leering at you, he gestured his hands out in front of him in a flair that only he could manage. "In the flesh."_

_Your mind was racing just as fast as your heart, and you remained rooted in your spot. You couldn't show fear, the _last_ thing you needed was to give Hisoka the satisfaction of knowing that he scared the shit out of you. Well, chances were, he probably already knew and relished the fact._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_Your voice came out much more steady than you expected, and you applauded the effort as he took a step forward. You stood your ground, jaw setting and eyes hardening. You would _not_ allow him to intimidate you!_

_Hisoka kept walking until he was right in front of you, and you crossed your arms defensively but made no attempt to move backwards as you glared up at him. At your resolve, the grin on his face only widened. It was only when he slowly reached his hand out towards you that you jumped back, putting some space in between the two of you as you got into a fighting stance. You weren't stupid enough to believe that you could hold your own against Hisoka, but that didn't mean you were going to roll over and do nothing._

_"Oh? A bit jumpy now, are we~?" God, you hated him. You hated his face, and his personality, and most of all, you hated that sickeningly-sweet tone he always got in his voice, syrupy and smooth but with undertones of the true malice that embodied his personality. You said nothing, and he sighed, his arm falling back to his side._

_"I came here to search for somebody. I never expected to find a budding flower, though, especially without her little puppy. What are _you_ doing here?"_

_Gritting your teeth, you became even more defensive. "I have no clue how I wound up here, but if you're here... You must know how to get back, right?"_

_You didn't think it possible, but Hisoka's grin only widened even more, an eerie image that was sure to burn into your brain for later nightmares. It left you feeling unsettled, although that feeling soon gave way to pure rage as Hisoka responded._

_"Hm... Who knows~?"_

_You had no idea what cryptic game this clown was playing, and you felt anger rise up within you as you took a step forwards, hands balling into fists. "Hisoka, you--!"_

_He cut you off, giving a little princess wave before turning his back to you, walking away. "Later, [N/n]-chan!"_

_You weren't prepared as he jumped and disappeared, and you took a couple steps forward before slumping. If Hisoka didn't want to be found, there was no way you were going to find him, and you childishly stomped your foot on the ground out of frustration._

_There went your one chance on getting some answers and finding a way back home._

* * *

As soon as you had gotten home that night, you didn't hesitate to warn Aizawa. After all, you felt as if it was somewhat your responsibility for there being a murderous clown on the streets of Musutafu, and he had relayed it to the other pros right away. For a moment, you both had wondered if he was the one helping the League of Villains, but you were quick to dismiss that idea. Hisoka was, well, Hisoka. He was awful and terrible and disgusting, but you knew he wouldn't help the League. Besides, he was looking for somebody, and something in your gut was telling you that _that_ person was the one helping Shigaraki and his stupid boy band. After all, wherever Hisoka went, trouble was _always_ sure to follow.

Either way, you hadn't seen Hisoka since.

Honestly, that was probably for better, but you still had become nervous as a result, especially when you had been alone training. You didn't know when he would next appear, not to mention you were extremely aggravated with the way he just jumped out of there before you could ask him to help you get back.

Man, _fuck_ Hisoka.

Having to put him on the back burner, you instead focused on your training, determined to get that number one spot at the festival. You had been right in thinking that the next two weeks were going to fly by fast, and before you knew it, the day of the sports festival was here. You were confident in your newfound abilities, and excited for something fun to do, but the past couple of weeks had left you with a feeling of nervousness you didn't expect to feel so soon due to that clown.

Not that that was something to worry about right _now_ as you impatiently paced around the waiting room, already dressed in your sports clothes as the rest of your classmates either thought up last-minute strategies or chattered among themselves. You were too tense with anticipation to want to talk yourself, excitement bubbling up inside of you. None of you knew what to expect at first, after all, and you were eager to showcase your new abilities! You had taken Izuku's advice to heart, and wanted to show him some of your new techniques that you developed!

Pacing around, your excitement could easily be mistaken as anxiety as you bounced around on your heels, causing those around you to also become anxious just watching your hyperactive form. It wasn't something you did on purpose!

"Midoriya. Freecss."

Hearing your name get called, you turned around to see Shouto standing there, looking as icy as ever as he burned holes into both of you. You had no _clue_ as to what you did to piss this guy off, but clearly he didn't like you. Or maybe he just had a severe case of resting bitch face... Now to think of it, that might be it. He always looks grumpy.

With everybody's attention on the half-and-half teen, you all waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say to you and Izuku.

"What's up my man?"

Shouto didn't appreciate your familiar words, and instead met yours and Izuku's eyes evenly.

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than both of you."

You were taken aback, both of your eyebrows shooting up. "Um, _excuse_ me?"

Shouto ignored your offended tone and continued, clearly on a roll here as he turned to Izuku first. "But... All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he? I won't pry into it, but I'm going to beat you," he told Izuku, before rounding on you. Clearly, this kid was worked up, and sports festival or not, you were ready to square up, meeting his mismatched eyes with a ferocious glare of your own. It had no effect on him.

"And you," Shouto continued, "are strong enough to catch the eyes of villains. I'll prove that I'm stronger, though."

You bristled. "Do you want to fight right here and now? Because I'll take you down," you threatened, temper rising at the fact that this guy was saying and acting like he was leagues better than you. Oh, you'd murder him!!

Hearing Denki in the background give snark, you felt a hand on your shoulder, looking back to meet the red eyes of Eijirou. He wasn't looking at you, but at Shouto, clearly unimpressed with the latter's behavior. 

"Hey hey hey, why are you trying to pick a fight all of a sudden?" Eijirou asked, exasperated at his classmate's behavior. It had thrown everybody for a loop, especially since Shouto was usually so quiet. "Don't do it now, not when we're about to start!"

Shouto disregarded Eijirou. "We're not here to make friends," he said coldly, before turning on his heels and leaving the room. "So what does it matter?"

With that, Shouto started to take his leave, and the room was silent for a moment as they took in his words. Not here to make friends... That was total BS! Crackling with equal parts indignation and excitement, you couldn't _wait_ to knock that asshole off his high-horse. You were so going to make him regret attempting to pick a fight with _you_!

Caught up in your thoughts of anger, you nearly missed as Izuku stepped forward, right before Shouto left the room. "Todoroki," he started, voice low, "I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people... Looking at it objectively..."

You frowned, looking over at Izuku. "That doesn't give him any right to speak that way," you argued, and Eijirou also piped up from behind you.

"Midoriya, you probably shouldn't be so negative..."

Izuku wasn't finished. "But everyone! The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got! I can't afford to fall behind." Determination took over Izuku's face as he looked up, looking Shouto squarely in the face as he turned around to face you all again. "I'll be going for it with everything I have, too."

That was inspirational as hell, and you nodded, pumping your fist. "Yeah! I'm here to give it my 100% all, so don't get too cocky or you'll be left in the dust, Todoroki!"

Your use of somebody's last name was probably more shocking than the sudden declarations of war as Shouto nodded at both of you, his face unreadable before he turned on his heels and walked out.

That was _intense_, and once he left the room it seemed your classmates all breathed a collective sigh of relief, save for Katsuki who hastily stood up, kicked his chair over, and stormed out of the room as well. Seems like _somebody_ didn't like not being singled out and challenged. Probably a shot to his ego, or whatever.

Exchanging a glance with Izuku, you gave him a wry smile, before looking back at Eijirou whose hand was _still_ resting on your shoulder. "Thanks for standing up for us."

At his thanks, he had quickly removed his hand, a light blush adorning his face as he nodded, giving you a toothy grin. "It's just not manly to challenge somebody like that!"

You didn't bother to ask him what he considered manly, instead nodding in agreement and humming, putting your hands in your pockets. "We should all head out, they'll probably want us on the field soon, right?"

Murmurs of agreement resounded throughout the room, and you all finished your last minute preparations before leaving the small room as well, too nervous to be in one place.

Hearing Present Mic's enthusiastic screaming from outside, you all started to walk through the tunnel leading to the field, your heart stammering in your chest. As light blinded your vision, you were taken aback by how large the stadium was, the risers high and filled with people. 

Was this what you had missed out on when you decided to not go to Heaven's Arena and fight?

While not shy by any means, the fact that millions of people would watch you perform was a bit nerve-wracking. Okay, scratch that - it was way more than 'a bit'! You were confident in yourself, but if you made even one mistake all of these people would see it! Apparently it was being televised, too. Great. That meant that the League of Villains, Hisoka, and the mystery nen user would all see you as well.

Maybe this was a mistake, being here?

You had no time to ponder as Present Mic introduced your class, all of you walking to the center towards the stage. Next to you was Momo, and you glanced over at her, feeling nervous. "There are so many people watching us... I'm really excited to show off, but..."

You trailed off, and Momo met your [e/c] eyes, giving you a warm smile. "I'm sure you will do well, Freecss. You're very talented, after all, so let's give it our best."

Nodding, you offered her your best grin, giving her a thumbs up. "We'll do great! And please call me [Y/n], and I'll call you Momo, okay?"

She flushed but nodded, and the two of you didn't bother to talk anymore as the rest of the classes filed out. Their introductions weren't as stellar as Class 1-A's, making you feel bad and remember the hostility that had been directed at your class earlier. Judging by their looks, that hostility was most definitely still there.

Once all classes were in place, a woman in a revealing costume stepped up onto the stage, causing you to immediately flush out of embarrassment at the indecency. She was a teacher here, you recognized her from the art classes you all took, but seeing her so brazenly wave around what looked to be a nine tails whip..!

"Quiet, everyone! Representing the students is Bakugou Katsuki from Class 1-A!"

At Midnight's words, you blanched. "We're fucked," you said, earning a reproachful glare from Tenya at your vulgar language. Thankfully, Katsuki either didn't hear you or was too focused on what he was going to say as he walked up, hands shoved into his pockets without a care in the world. Holding your face in your hands, you could already imagine what he was going to say.

"God, everybody is going to hate us if _he_ speaks..."

The others around you agreed in a depressed manner, you all realizing that Katsuki was literally the _worst_ person to give a speech representing the class on stage.

Slowly climbing up the stairs, Katsuki was silent for a moment as he stopped in front of the microphone. "I pledge..." You inhaled sharply, hoping _desperately_ it wasn't going to be as bad as everybody was expecting it to be.

Of course, it was Katsuki, though. "I'll be number one."

God damn it.

He was immediately met with boos from all of the classes combined, save for Class 1-A who was currently panicking. Rubbing your forehead, you wondered if it was too late to yeet Katsuki into the sky and take his place.

Unbothered with all of the yells, Katsuki turned around, immediately flashing his thumb down at everyone. "At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of." With nothing else to say, Katsuki walked down the steps, ignoring the glares and shouting directed at him. Honestly, it _could_ have been worse - you acknowledged that. While appreciating that he didn't cuss everybody out like you had somewhat expected him to, you still were annoyed by the sheer over-confidence this guy exuded.

Stepping in front of him, you met his gaze evenly, before an uneven grin found its way onto your face at the challenge he had presented.

"It is _on_, Katsuki. You better be able to back up that talk, because I'm going to annihilate you."

Matching your grin with his own, he shoved past you, stopping to look back over at his shoulder. "You'll see when _I'm_ in first place, you damned newbie. You won't be annihilating shit."

With that said, he walked back to his original place, and you took a deep breath, preparing yourself for what was to come.

It was most definitely _on_.


	15. Always Reaching For the Top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The qualifier round is an obstacle course. You figure you've got it handled, but you're also quick to learn that you can't underestimate everybody in U.A. just because they don't know nen.

"An obstacle course, huh?"

You bounced on the balls of your heels, ecstatic at the game as you grabbed the arm of the person closest to you, which happened to be Izuku. "Oh, this is going to be so fun, I'm so excited!"

The others didn't share in your enthusiasm, everybody else too tense at the qualifier round for the festival. Oh well, as long as you were enjoying it it didn't matter, right? This would be a chance to show your worth and leave everybody in the dust! Call you childish, but you loved games. Oh, you just wish Gon and Killua were here, they would get a kick out of this!

All of you crowding the entrance, you tilted your head at the narrow pathway, already coming up with both a game plan and your own sweet revenge for Katsuki's earlier speech.

As the lights started to count down, you bounced from one leg to the other, unable to suppress the wide smile on your face as Midnight finally yelled out "Start!", signalling the start of the first round.

You jumped up immediately, using your nen to boost the power in your legs to propel you above the others. There was no way you'd squeeze through that crowd - talk about claustrophobic. Instead, you took Katsuki's speech to heart, jumping above the people by using your peers as stepping stones. Singling out a familiar head of spiky blond hair, you made sure to jump on his shoulders before launching yourself up.

"Thanks for being my _stepping stone_, Baku-bro!"

He was definitely going to kill you for that later, but _damn_ did it feel good to make him eat his words!

Feeling a blast of cold air, you involuntarily shivered as you looked down, watching the ground freeze over, effectively trapping almost everybody in place as you got out of the tunnel and launched into the air, flipping slightly to see the source of the cold. Naturally, it was Shouto, breezing his way along the path and currently in first place.

Feeling something grab the back of your head before forcing you down, you shouted in dismay, looking up to see that Katsuki had blasted himself forward and shoved you down.

Yeah, you deserved that.

Flipping so you landed on your feet, you slid across the ice, waving your arms around frantically in an attempt to keep yourself from falling since ice skating wasn't really your forte. However, just sliding across the ground was not going to get you anywhere, and grumbling under your breath, you slid over to the small wall.

Immediately, you hoisted yourself up, using your nen to keep yourself in place as you ran sideways along the wall, surpassing everybody. You had no clue how you were going to explain _this_ as your quirk to be honest, but figured Nezu would figure it out. You just wanted to get in first place!

Rounding the corner, you realized you were in third currently, with Shouto ahead of you and, surprisingly enough, Minoru in between you both.

He was fast in approaching Shouto, too, and you were just about to put in a burst of speed when a giant hand came out of _literally_ no where and swatted him out of the air, sending him flying.

"Oh, rest in peace man," you blurted out, jumping onto the flat ground and skidding to a stop. In front of you all were three _gargantuan_ robots, all facing towards you and blocking the rest of the path. You didn't have to fight them, just get around them, yeah?

Sensing everybody behind you come to a stop as well, you slapped your cheeks before letting out a battle cry. Like hell you were going to let this stop you, a moment of hesitation could be your downfall!

Gathering nen solely in your legs, you shot forward like a slingshot, zipping through and up one of the robots, staying attached as you ran up with ease. What was supposed to be a simple task got a hell of a lot harder when ice started to cover the entire robot you were on, approaching you at an alarming rate.

"Wha- _Shouto!_"

You had no other option. Taking a deep breath and praying to the stars that this would work, you launched yourself above and over the robot to avoid the ice, immediately covering your body in your _ren_ so you didn't die when you inevitably landed on the ground. The force of your jump had pushed the robot you were on down, and you looked behind briefly to see them all crash, causing you to wince.

Hopefully nobody got hurt.

Bracing yourself, you gritted your teeth as the wind whipped your hair back, Shouto already running ahead.

"Breaking through and in the lead is Class 1-A's Todoroki Shouto, having frozen the robots in place!" Shouting from above the entire time was Present Mic, trying his best to MC the course. "And what's this?! Falling from the sky and also from Class 1-A is Freecss [Y/n]! With her quirk, Boost, she can enhance her stats at will, making for both the perfect defense and offense! As expected from Class 1-A!"

Just as you roughly landed on the ground, shock traveling up your legs, Shouto had looked behind in surprise, not expecting for somebody else to have made it through so quickly. Without a moment to lose, you forced yourself to run again. Thanks to your ren, besides the soreness permeating through your limbs at your jarring landing, you weren't injured in any other ways. That's good - you'd hate to use your special move so soon in the game!

Hearing shouts behind you and knowing full well the others would make haste to catch up, you sprinted forward, yelling at Shouto all the while.

"You jerk, you could have killed me!"

He didn't acknowledge you whatsoever, clearly focused on the obstacles ahead. Or, the pit of DOOM.

Joking. Sort of.

Sprawling ahead of you was a large pit with small platforms, and you skidded to a stop to avoid running off the edge. When did they have time to do this?! It was insane!

Taking a step back as you felt a few people catch up, you analyzed the situation before you, humming in thought. You could use your nen in your legs again (your poor legs were going to be _screaming_ by the end of this), but if you over-launched yourself you were definitely going to be in for a wild ride. Your best bet would be to run across the ropes and use your nen to stay on top so you didn't slide, but running in a very straight line might be a bit difficult...

Agh! You didn't have time to debate on how to get across or you were going to fall behind! Already, Shouto was sliding along one of the ropes with ease, Katsuki right behind him in a mass of fiery explosions.

"Dang it..."

Slapping your cheeks to bring some sense into yourself, you decided to just run across. If you fell, you could just run back up the side of the rocks, and use your nen to protect yourself from impact. Focusing everything into the bottoms of your feet, you went for it.

Running across tightropes was unnerving. Even with the security of your nen keeping you on top, the fall was daunting at _best_ and absolutely terrifying at worst. You weren't afraid of heights normally, but damn this was freaky! Ignoring the shouts behind you (you were positive somebody had shouted, "Freeccs, you're a psycho to do that!") you pressed forward.

Seeing a streak of pink speed past you, you couldn't help the grin on your face at the familiar face. It had been a minute since you last saw Hatsume Mei, and you were absolutely ecstatic that she was making it so far! You were also glad to see those hover boots were definitely working a lot better for her - hopefully they weren't burning her feet off like they did to yours.

Running as fast as you could, you finally made it to the opposite side of the chasm, running a hand through sweaty, [h/c] tangles as you continued to run. You were pushing your stamina to the limit, but hopefully you were almost done with the obstacle course. After all, you had all been running for quite a bit, right?

Running up the large set of red stairs, you were displeased to be right behind Katsuki, pushing yourself to your hardest to get ahead of him.

"Oi, hot head!"

Catching his attention with the totally unoriginal name, his only response was a scream of pure, unadulterated rage as he blasted forward.

". . . Good talk."

Shaking your head at his antics in exasperation, you pushed forward, soon coming to another stop to assess what looked to be the final obstacle course - a minefield. A fucking _minefield_.

This school was really terrifying sometimes!

You were at a loss. Sure, your nen could protect you, but you weren't entirely sure that it would prevent you from blowing your legs off, still. That's not to mention that those in the lead were at a disadvantage; those further back had the advantage because sure enough, you were likely to get rid of some mines for them.

Running a hand down the side of your face, you cursed. As an enhancer, you could only do so much with your nen, and you wished that you were born with some sort of conjurer or transmuter nen type so you could form wings or something. Life was cruel, however, and that wasn't what you were born with, meaning you were going to have to make do with your nen to somehow not get blown to bits in this obstacle course.

Going around them was going to be _way_ too time consuming, and as Katsuki blasted by you, hovering over the ground, you gritted your teeth.

Damn, no way you were going to lose to those losers..!

Up ahead, you could see Katsuki and Shouto go head to head, advancing while fighting each other. Of course, Katsuki couldn't just take a win. More and more people passed you as well while you tried to think up the best solution.

_Come on you dumb brain, think!_

Izuku had caught up to you at this time, and you spared him a glance as he started digging up mines with what looked to be a piece of one of the robots from earlier.

Wait...

Grinning as Izuku leapt forward with the makeshift shield underneath him, you followed his actions, gripping tightly onto your friend. "I'm sorry to use you like this Izuku, but I won't lose!"

You had a death grip on the poor teen, who had no time to shake you off as the shield came in contact with the mines, immediately causing a large explosion and launching the two of you in the air at record speed. It was honestly a lot of fun!

"Yahoo!" Whooping with joy in Izuku's ear, you watched in awe as everybody became like ants below you both, shooting forward and past Shouto and Katsuki. The momentum of the blast had rocketed you and Izuku near the end of the minefield and ahead of everybody else, putting the two of you into first place. The only problem was that your landing was going to be _real_ rocky if the two of you didn't come up with a solution soon!

Clinging to Izuku's back like a koala as Katsuki and Shouto targeted the both of you, Izuku swung the shield out from underneath him, stepping on both Shouto and Katsuki as he slammed the shield on the ground, right over the mines. Oh god, another blast like that...!

"W-Wait--!"

The force of the explosion shot the two of you forward and you flung off Izuku's back and past the minefield, rolling in the dirt unceremoniously. Izuku managed to land on his feet, shouting a quick apology to you before running off towards the end. Oh, you were so going to get him back for that, you didn't even have time to use ren to protect yourself!

Forcing yourself to a stand, you didn't have time to look back as you ran forward as well, knowing Shouto and Katsuki were right on your tail. Back in the tunnel, you heard shouting behind you and quickly ran up the wall, boosting your speed as much as you could before light assaulted your vision.

"And the first one on the field is... Class 1-A's Midoriya Izuku!"

Jumping out right after Izuku, you deflated, falling to your knees dramatically. "Second place... Second place?! To _Izuku_?!" As much as you loved your friend, he tended to injure himself whenever he used his quirk, so you didn't really consider him a contender for this game. That proves to you just how much you probably _shouldn't_ be underestimating people, because it was due to your over-confidence against him that you wound up in second place instead of first.

Coming out into the clearing behind you were Shouto and Katsuki, both clearly fired up and pissed they had lost to the both of you, and you continued to sulk. Maybe next round... Yeah! Maybe next round you would make it in first place!

Standing up and brushing the dirt off, you noticed that Izuku was crying and made your way over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and startling him. "As mad as I am that I got second... You were awesome, Izuku!"

He nodded, giving you a wobbly and apologetic smile. "About earlier, I'm sorry you--"

You cut him off, making a giant 'x' with your arms as you stepped back. "No apologizing! We may be friends, but this is a competition as well, so we all have to do our best to _be_ the best! Right?"

"R-right!"

Although you wouldn't quite call it a motivational speech, you nodded, proud of it anyways as more of you classmates filtered into the arena.

When everybody was there, you all wound up gathered around the stage again, with Midnight announcing the results on a board.

**1st: Midoriya Izuku  
2nd: Freecss [Y/n]  
3rd: Todoroki Shouto  
4th: Bakugou Katsuki**

Ouch. You winced at Katsuki getting fourth place, knowing full well he was fuming over his results, but you had no time to think about it as Midnight got ready to announce the next game.

. . .

"A cavalry battle? What's that?" You asked, tilting your head in confusion. Nobody offered up an explanation for you, too engrossed into Midnight and to hear the rules to really help you out here. Thankfully, Midnight was on your side and explained the game to everybody, and so you listened intently. It was a team exercise, huh?

Almost missing out on the explanation of points as you debated on who you wanted on your team, Midnight then announced, "and the person in first place.... has ten million points!"

Immediately, all eyes were on Izuku, and you put a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic glance.

"You are _so_ dead, man."


	16. Go Seize It!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the next round, you make an unlikely alliance in an attempt to stay ahead of the game. While it wasn't what you were expecting, it at least seems fortuitous in the end.

The problem with team battles was that they were definitely not your forte. You weren't necessarily what you'd call a "team player", but this wasn't a game that you could exactly do by yourself, either. In other words, you were totally screwed.

The thing was, you didn't want to team up with Izuku. You loved him, sure, he was a great friend! But you did _not_ want that ten million points issue on your team, because then everybody would be targeting you and that was just not something you were prepared for.

Your next option was Shouto, but he seemed dead set on who he wanted on his team, and everybody was crowding Katsuki in an attempt to be on his team. Humming, you looked around as everybody started to talk and form their own alliances for the time being. Honestly, you were kind of offended nobody had come up to _you_ to invite you to be on their team, yet. What was up with that?! You were amazing!

On cue, you were approached by Minoru, the kid only reaching about the height of your waist as his eyes gleamed up at you.

"[Y/n], join my-"

"Hell no."

Walking away and leaving him in the dust, you looked around in thought. If possible, you wanted to work with somebody new, but the downside to that was that you didn't know what to expect when working with somebody who's quirks you don't know.

Feeling a finger tap your shoulder, you whirled around to see a familiar face crowded by crazy purple hair, your eyes brightening up.

"Hey, [Y/n]."

"Toshi!"

Gathering the teen in a hug, you pulled back, grasping his hands as an idea hit your brain. "Hey, Hitoshi, let's team up!"

He seemed a bit shocked for a moment, but then nodded, an unsure look on his face before he gave you a grin. "We already have two other members, so we're set," he reassured you, and you cheered in response, following him to where the other teammates supposedly were. The entire time he kept shooting glances over at you, purple eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was he confused that you wanted to team up with him?

"Is something wrong?" you asked him, unable to suppress your curiosity, but he simply shook his head as you two stopped in front of two of your classmates. Tilting your head to the side, you hummed. "Mashirao Ojirou and Yuuga Aoyama, right?"

Thankfully, neither one acknowledged you said their names backwards. In fact, Mashirao didn't acknowledge you at all, staring blankly, and you shook your head as Yuuga nodded, giving you a wink.

Okay then.

Turning to Hitoshi, you grinned, pulling them in a huddle. "Alright, so what's the plan? I don't know your quirk, so you'll have to take the lead," you told him, and he hummed, nodding once. 

"You'll see what it is later. I'll be the rider, he," Hitoshi motioned towards the blanked out Mashirao, "will be the front horse, and you and your other classmate will support from the sides."

You nodded, opting to not bother Hitoshi for now. "Aye aye! I have a couple new techniques up my sleeve that should help for our defense if needed," you cheerily replied, flashing back onto a conversation with Izuku from way back when you first asked for his help. He was the one, after all, who came up with the idea to boost your defense instead of offense, especially when you told him how much your nen could help protect yourself. It was because of him that you had come up with a couple of special moves. One of them wouldn't necessarily fit in with your "quirk", but you had a feeling it would definitely be useful this time around, so you just hoped that Nezu and Aizawa would find a way to explain it away so you could use it.

After a bit of discussing, it was agreed to go with Hitoshi's set-up, and just in time too as the buzzer blared, letting you all know that the second game was about to start. Everybody else had sectioned off into their own teams, and you hummed, eyes sharp and cautious as you examined your opponents.

"Izuku, Shouto, and Katsuki are all on different teams... I know Shouto and Katsuki will most likely be after Izuku, but we should keep an eye out for them as well..." Your words were low, and meant more as a personal observation than a comment to your teammates, but Hitoshi nodded anyways in agreement.

Getting into position, you all tensed, and you frowned at a realization right before Midnight called for the start of the game.

"... Hitoshi, what was your quirk again?"

The horn blared as everybody leapt towards Izuku, your team staying behind for a moment as Hitoshi grinned from above you.

"Mind control."

"E-eh?!"

He had no time to elaborate as you all were pushed into the fray yourselves, you immediately on the defense. Watching as Izuku's team sunk slowly into the ground, your team moved around with ease, and you had no time to ask Hitoshi if he could elaborate on what he means by mind control. He wasn't controlling you, right? Would you be able to tell? You weren't sure, but were positive you were acting of your own free will and were grateful that Hitoshi hadn't used his quirk on you to force you to be on his team if it was true.

Not that it mattered right now. You most certainly did not have the time to worry about it as Hitoshi's hand shot out, grabbing the headband of a nearby team filled with what looked to be Class B students. Already, you guys had gotten one other headband, but you still had leagues to go if you were going to wind up in first place!

Seeing movement from the corner of your eyes, you saw something flash towards you, and on instinct you put a hand up.

_Time to see how well my new move checks out!_

You see, you had spent most of your life focusing on nen techniques to improve your overall strength. As an enhancer, it was fairly easy to do. You were blessed with probably the most versatile nen type, as enhancers didn't have to worry about technicalities or "secret weapons"; on the other hand, though, it had caused you to be very narrow-minded when it came to developing your hatsu abilities. You automatically assumed that you could only use it for offense, not for one second ever thinking about using it for anything else.

Izuku had pointed out this flaw to you. You were always using your nen to boost speed and strength, but if you acknowledged the fact that you could also practice emitter type nen and transmuter type nen, you could come up with some pretty neat special moves. Unfortunately, you didn't have time to focus on both of those types - with the advice that you practice only one type of nen a day, you had to choose one category to cultivate and just hope it would aid you the best. After a lot of thinking, you focused on an emitter type attack, trying to pick up what you were doing back in Greed Island with a little twist.

Focusing nen in the palm of your hand, you thought of the biggest and sturdiest shield you could muster, pushing out a wall of pure aura to protect you all from attacks for the time being. It was hard, and you could feel yourself strain the more you held it up. Hitoshi gave you an appreciative smile, and you managed to return one back, albeit shakily.

"Don't worry. You can reach out of it, but nothing should be able to get in while I hold it up," you reassured him, before wincing, "although it won't hold for long, so let's hurry."

Meanwhile, Present Mic was exclaiming over the microphone at what you had accomplished. "Somehow, Class 1-A's Freecss has managed to form a glowing shield around them all!"

Whoops. You couldn't worry about blending in if you were going to give it your all, but thankfully Aizawa was there and, ever the quick thinker, spoke up. "Using her Boost quirk, she managed to boost her defense and project it around her. But will it last?"

You _so_ did not need that last question, but appreciated your teacher's quick response as Present Mic moved on to the other contestants. You were sure to get an earful later, but for now, you had to focus on collecting as many headbands as you could!

Watching as Izuku and his team soared through the air, you whistled, impressed. "I'm surprised they still have their headband, that's - whoa!"

You were not appreciative of the team that tried to attack you all. The rider had a decent amount of headbands and a smile on his face you decidedly hated as he whistled, noting the transparent barrier you conjured. "That's an interesting quirk, 1-A, but how long will you keep it up for?"

Gritting your teeth, you didn't bother to answer. Mostly because you knew you couldn't keep it up for long, especially not if they kept hitting it, it was taking up a lot of energy!

Sure enough, the barrier finally shattered into small glowing embers, and the blond rider quickly reached towards you, grabbing your arm. You were quick to shake him off. Why did he go after you, and not Hitoshi who had the headbands?

"I'm sure your quirk will help me out a lot!"

Um, what?

Behind him, you could hear Katsuki's enraged yelling as it headed closer to both of your teams, and you pressed your lips together, shaking your head. "You know what, do whatever, but we gotta blast. See ya, _definitely_ don't wanna be ya!"

Moving as one, your team managed to get out of there before you could lose your headbands, and you watched in confusion as the blond tried to defend himself from Katsuki, only for nothing to happen. Earlier, he had said something about basically using your 'quirk' (poor kid didn't know that you didn't have a quirk to begin with), but you could ponder that later.

"The tournament is more than halfway through, with Midoriya still in the lead!"

You all still had _seven_ minutes?

Glancing up at Hitoshi, you grimaced as you tried to think up a winning strategy. At this point, you guys weren't doing so well. Granted, you could be doing _way_ worse, but you couldn't rest until your team was at the top! With Shouto and Izuku facing off right now, this might be your best chance to nab a decent amount of points with the top three teams distracted with their own problems. "We have to go big or go home, Hitoshi," you told him.

"I don't think you really know what that means..."

Shaking him off (you had done _so_ much research on using the lingo of this world, after all!), you grinned in response. "Yeah I do. It means we have to win!"

Rushing forwards, you all had advanced on Izuku, ready to nab the ten million, until a bright light filled the area. You didn't have time to defend or dodge, and nearly dropped Hitoshi in shock at the electrifying quirk of your classmate Denki. Feeling your entire body tingle and burn, your team was stuck in place for Shouto to freeze the ground, effectively trapping you all and blocking off himself and Izuku's team in one fell swoop.

"Cold cold cold!"

In a burst of ren, your aura shattered the ice around you and your teammates, freeing you guys up as you all carefully moved away, not wanting to slip on the ice that still covered the ground. Yuuga did a good job at using his navel laser to melt a path for you guys, as well.

Holding up two more headbands, you sighed in relief as Hitoshi put them around his neck. With those, you were still below the top four on the leader board, and you could feel frustration build up within yourself.

_No..._ _One minute left..!_

It was intense. Having strained yourself greatly between the obstacle course and your new emitter attack, you were running low on stamina and energy. Nonetheless, you kept pushing through, refusing to give in as your team maneuvered through ice and foe alike. Yuuga, Hitoshi, even Mashirao despite him having no free will - they were counting on you to keep it up! If you buckled in now, you'd be letting your team down and would not advance in the sports festival.

That was just something you could not allow!

"We're so close..!" you exclaimed through clenched teeth, holding tightly onto Hitoshi. You could last, you all would make it through!

Hearing the crowd yell as Present Mic announced that Shouto's team had managed to snatch Izuku's headband, putting him at zero points. No way would you all be able to get those points from Shouto's team in time!

"Push forward!"

Nodding at Hitoshi's command, you all rushed forward, Present Mic starting a countdown as your team zipped through, snatching three more headbands in the running. There was no time to look at the point values or to take a glance at the board, and just as Hitoshi managed to grab one more, the horn blared again, signaling the end of the match as you all came to a shuttering halt.

Panting, you slowly looked up at the board in trepidation, anxiety welling up in your stomach.

_We got..._

"Third?!"

Gently setting Hitoshi down, you snatched the headbands from him, counting up the points to indeed confirm that your team had made it in the top four with just seconds to spare. You quickly hugged the lavender haired boy, and then Mashirao and Yuuga too as you jumped up and down in excitement.

"We made it, we made it!"

For a moment there, you had been terrified that your team wouldn't make it, but you all had pulled through! Still... That was scarily close, and you hoped that you wouldn't have to deal with anymore close calls in the future, for the time being. It was stressful, and you had really pushed past your limit there.

Watching as Mashirao looked around in confusion, you gave him one last hug, confusing the teen even more.

"Um... Freecss?"

"Call me [Y/n]! We're moving on to the next round!" You cheered in his ear, causing the teen to flinch before you pulled away. In the end, the winning teams were Shouto, Katsuki, yours, and Izuku. You were glad your friend also pulled through in the end, and as you looked around at the remaining people, you clenched your fists. Most likely, you'd be fighting in the next round, and a lot of the people who made it would be formidable opponents, but even still..!

Pumping your fists in the air, you cheered.

This was only the beginning!


	17. Bright and Cheerful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the first two rounds, a break is just in order. Feeling super cute in your U.A. cheer uniform, you wind up getting yourself into a little bit more than you wanted to.

As Present Mic announced that a lunch break would commence before you all would move on to the afternoon festivities, you bounced up and down excitedly. This was the most non-threatening excitement you have had in ages, not to mention you were doing pretty well! Second and third place in the first two events. It wasn't _first_, but you could rectify it when it came to the versus battles. After all, you had your special ability you still haven't showcased, and you were dying to show it off! You'd just have to wait until the very end - you had learned the hard way that it can have pretty severe repercussions on your body if you overdid it.

Stomach growling, you quickly excused yourself from your conversation with Asui and Mina so you could run to the bathroom before meeting them all in the cafeteria. Hopefully they had your favorite dish today, because that was the only way this day could get better!

Doing what you needed to do and washing your hands, you left the bathroom, leisurely strolling down the darkened hallways and not sensing the tension up ahead that you were about to walk into - the tension you _would_ have walked into if a hand didn't shoot out and grab a hold of you, one hand wrapping around your waist and the other clamping over your mouth.

"Mmf-?!"

"Fucking be quiet!"

At the familiar voice quiet hissing in your ear, you swung your elbow back, getting Katsuki right in the gut as he let out an almost inaudible 'oof'. He quickly shushed you (as if you were the one making the noise here!) before saying, "Just fucking wait a minute, damned newbie. I want to hear what they're fucking saying."

Even though his hand was now away from your mouth, you furrowed your eyebrows, not saying anything. Instead, you cocked your head to the side, immediately using gyo to enhance your hearing.

"You've heard of quirk marriages, right?"

You must have missed the first part of this conversation, but there was no doubt about it that that was Shouto's voice, and you glanced up at Katsuki with a questioning gaze before tuning back into the conversation. You felt nosy and a bit guilty for eavesdropping, but curiosity won out over those feelings. You just had to wonder, who was Shouto talking to? You had a pretty good feeling that you knew who it was, and if it was who you think it was, then you felt bad for the poor teen. First you dumped your secret onto him, and now Shouto is dumping _his_ secrets, as well? Izuku was apparently the most trustworthy person in Class 1-A.

Listening to Shouto explain quirk marriages, you couldn't help but be confused. Why did any of this matter? It's not like he was planning on marrying Izuku to use his quirk, so why did it matter? You soon got your answer.

_Shouto is the result of a quirk marriage...? Why would such things exist in this world?!_

It was just one surprise after another, each one worse than the last, because Shouto was nowhere done giving Izuku (if it _was_ Izuku, since you hadn't confirmed it) his tragic backstory.

"In my memories, my mother is always crying," he said darkly. "'Your left side is unsightly', my mother said as she poured boiling water on me." You had to stifle a gasp, both of your hands flying up to your mouth in an attempt to stay quiet. You tensed, afraid he had heard, but he continued to talk, and suddenly guilt washed over you in big waves. This was way too personal to listen to, even if it was to sate your own curiosity.

Sparing a glance at Katsuki, you noticed he looked grim himself, looking down deep in thought. He either didn't notice you looking or chose to ignore you, and you turned your attention back to Shouto for the time being. You didn't realize that the thought of his mother scarring him (literally) had affected you so bad until you felt water on the corners of your lips, salt exploding across your tongue. Slowly, you raised a hand to feel your face. Upon confirming they were tears, you hastily wiped them away, not wanting Katsuki to notice or, even worse, for it to become a noisy cry.

Footsteps made you tense up before you realized they were going away from yours and Katsuki's position, and you sighed lightly as you realized that Shouto was walking away as his voice slowly grew fainter as he spoke.

Hearing the other person finally speak up as he went to chase them, you relaxed as you realized it was indeed Izuku. If anybody could convince Shouto that he should use his left side to spite his father, it'd be Izuku; although in a much nicer way. Glancing back up at Katsuki, you hovered for a bit, unsure what to do.

". . . That was intense."

Katsuki glared at you for breaking the silence but surprised you with saying nothing as he shoved past you, going to leave the vicinity himself. You knew him well enough to easily tell that he was brooding, and you took a step forward, grabbing his wrist. He stopped, but didn't look back or say anything, clearly waiting for you.

"If you're upset that Shouto is more concerned about Izuku than you--"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to start off with as he ripped his hand from yours, looking back with a piercing glare. "Just mind your own fucking business, Freecss."

The lack of his usual insulting nickname shocked you, and you just nodded mutely, watching as he turned and walked off. There was nothing you could say that would reach him, not now, and you were frustrated at him brushing you off. You understood, though. You couldn't help with everything, and knew that whatever Katsuki had against Izuku was between them. It wasn't any of your business in getting in between that.

Stomach rumbling loudly, you let out a long and exasperated sigh before leaving the area yourself and heading towards the cafeteria. That was a pretty heavy conversation that you weren't even supposed to hear, so some food would do well in sidetracking you for the time being. You were conflicted, though.

Throughout your (short) time in this world and at U.A., Shouto had been nothing but cold towards you and your classmates. It was obvious he had a completely different mentality than your peers, and you had figured he was just stuck-up like that. You didn't hate him, but would have preferred anybody else's company over his. After hearing of his past, though, it gave you insight as to why he is the way he is. It hurt you, and you couldn't help but frown in thought that Shouto was hurting.

You wanted to help him.

Walking into the cafeteria, you paid no heed to those around you as you rocketed straight towards the lunch line to grab a bunch of food. All that exercising and exhausting your nen made you famished, and you were ready to dig in once you found a place to sit!

After wondering around for a bit, weaving through all of the first years, you found a group of people you recognized, immediately sitting down by the girls of 1-A. Well, most of them.

"Oh, [Y/n]! Where were you?"

Turning to your invisible friend as you started to inhale your food, you held up a finger to tell her to give you a moment so you could at least chew and swallow your food. No way were you going to tell them about the confrontation you and Katsuki had witnessed. You shouldn't have even been there to listen in, so it was definitely not your place to share what you learned. Instead, once your mouth was clear of food, you said, "Bathroom! I got lost."

It was a good enough explanation as everybody started to talk again, with Asui and Toru continuously congratulating you, Momo, and Ochaco for making it to the next round of the stage. You offered a grin, but no other response as you continued to eat.

"A majority of the students who passed are from Class 1-A, making it very likely that we will fight against one another," Momo pointed out, and you nodded happily, seemingly unbothered. Ochaco looked a bit more worried about that predicament, but not you - you were excited for a chance to fight your classmates. Especially Shouto - you were going to return that declaration of war with a ferocity that will make him eat his words!

Finishing your lunch in record time, you stretched your arms above your head, giving your shoulders a much needed 'pop'. Kyoka gave you a strange look.

"Did you seriously finish already. . . ?"

You didn't answer her question, instead looking over at your friends happily. "We should all probably head to the field soon. That way we're ready!"

Most of the girls decided to stick around a bit longer, but Kyoka and Momo joined you in leaving. Getting up, you all had started to head out, exiting the cafeteria until two people approached your little group - Denki and Minoru. They looked almost worried, and you tensed, wondering if somebody was bullying them or if they had flirted with the wrong person and were now running away. Either way, you'd fight for your classmates!

"Yaoyorozu, Jirou, [Y/N]," Denki called out, as they were the ones heading your little group. You three looked over in confusion.

"Did you two need something?" Ever polite, Momo assessed the two, and the next one to speak up was Minoru.

"Well, I'm sure you already know since you're a class rep and all, but they said everyone has to wear those clothes to do a cheer battle in the afternoon." Pointing over to a group of cheerleaders, you perked up. A cheer battle?! Granted, those skirts didn't look too fun to fight in, but you were always up for a good fight! Plus, despite the practicality of the outfits, they _were_ cute - you just wished the colors were maybe a bit different.

Kyoka looked dismayed and flustered, but everybody else just looked confused. Tilting her head to the side, Momo hummed. "I don't believe I heard anything about an event like that, though..." You nodded in agreement. Of course, you didn't pay attention to half of the stuff that was relayed to you in school, so maybe you had missed the announcement...

Turning away from you all, Minoru continued to speak. "You don't have to believe me, but we heard it straight from Aizawa-sensei!"

That seemed even weirder. Aizawa wasn't really the type to give two shits about this kind of stuff, but if he said it... Minoru continued to speak, being as considerate as ever. "I thought maybe you'd forgotten, so I wanted to tell you just in case."

The entire time, Denki was nodding, and you shrugged and looked over at Momo. "You could probably make the outfits with your quirk, right?" you asked, and Momo agreed before thanking Denki and Minoru. The three of you left to go find the rest of the girls, and you and Kyoka exchanged a look behind Momo's back as she explained the situation and started to create the outfits.

"You know, this may be a set-up," you pointed out. Even if it was, you didn't really have any shame, but Kyoka certainly did and looked embarrassed at the thought of wearing a cheer uniform.

Taking the outfit dejectedly, she shot a glare into the general direction of where Denki and Minoru had disappeared in. "If it is, I'll kill both of them."

Taking your outfit from Momo and thanking her, you gave another shrug to Kyoka. "I'm sure everything will be fine!"

Running to the bathroom _again_, you quickly got changed, taking a moment to admire yourself in the mirror. The uniform fit you perfectly and was super cute - Momo even made you little pom-poms! You were thankful that it was a skirt with shorts, at least - you did _not_ need to accidentally flash anybody.

Once all the girls had gotten dressed, you all headed out to the field. Some, like Kyoka and Ochaco, were a bit more embarrassed about wearing something so revealing, but you, Mina, and Toru in particular were happily jumping around in excitement. You weren't sure what a cheer battle entailed, but anything with the word 'battle' in it was an automatic plus for you! You would represent Class 1-A with pride and kick everybody's butts!

Just as Present Mic started to announce the afternoon festivities, your group had made it to the field. At first, you were bouncing up and down on your heels, looking around for the other classes, but your group was quick to realize that they were the only class out on the field in these uniforms.

_So it _was_ a set-up_...

You weren't sure why Denki and Minoru had pranked you all like this, but you could quickly see the other girl's faces pale from shock as Momo slumped to the ground.

"Why am I always caught up in Mineta's schemes...?"

Going over to her, you crouched down and hugged her for a moment. "It's alright, Momo, we all look super cute at least, so let's make the best of it!"

Kyoka, on the other hand, was definitely more angry than dejected as she threw her pom-poms on the ground. "Those stupid boys!"

Toru joined you in trying to mediate. "Well, there's still time before the finals," she pointed out, waving the pom-poms around and making it look like they were floating in midair, "and it'd be a pain if things got tense, so let's do it!"

You appreciated the enthusiasm and pulled Momo to her feet, grasping her hands and leaning forward so your faces were close. "I agree, let's do our best. Okay, Momo?"

Your black-haired friend flushed a light pink, nodding once as you two pulled away. Asui was looking over, amused. "Toru, [Y/n], you two are really into this, huh?" Instead of giving a verbal response, you and Toru just jumped up and cheered, waving the pom-poms around. There'd be no battle now, but at least you all could wave the pom-poms around and look cute, right?

Present Mic was amused at the cheerleading fiasco, but continued to speak over the microphone. "Alright everyone, let's have fun competing in the recreational games! When that's over, the sixteen from the four teams that made it to the final round will duke it out tournament style, one-on-one!"

"YES!"

You startled your friends with your very ecstatic shout as you jumped up excitedly. You were going to prove you were the best!

Midnight stepped up onto the stage, holding a gigantic box in her hands as she held it up for everybody to see for a moment. "Now, let's draw lots to determine the bracket. Once the bracket is determined, we'll have the recreational games and then start!"

You crossed your fingers, waiting with bated breath as Midnight stepped forward. "Now... from the first place team--"

She was interrupted by one of your teammates from the last battle, Mashirao, as he raised his hand. "Excuse me," he said, and you glanced over in confusion. "I'm withdrawing."

Immediately you all scrutinized him, but it was Izuku who spoke up, concerned for your classmate. "Ojirou, why?" Tenya immediately backed Izuku up, neither getting why he was withdrawing - granted, you didn't, either!

"I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until almost the end." His words were somber, and you frowned, not quite understanding. He was right beside you during the whole thing, protecting you guys from frontal attacks and carrying Hitoshi. How did he not remember that?

"I think it was that guy's quirk."

_"Hitoshi, what was your quirk again?"_

_"Mind control."_

You blanched at the memory. You hadn't thought anything of it, but Mashirao's behavior _had_ seemed strange. You were too caught up in the moment to understand the implications, though, and immediately felt bad. Why would Hitoshi use his quirk on Mashirao and not you or Yuuga? Why use it on his teammate at all?!

You glanced back at Hitoshi and made eye contact, but as soon as your eyes met he looked away, seemingly uninterested. You had no clue how his quirk activates, but you'd have to be careful. You weren't sure if that was something you could fight against with your nen, after all, and you were definitely not excited to try it out.

After Mashirao was done with his little speech, Midnight accepted the withdrawal with a gleam on her eyes. "I'll have to move up one person from the fifth place cavalry battle team..."

In the end, the one who wound up moving up was a man named Tetsutetsu. A weird name, but you weren't one to talk - besides, he reminded you a lot of Eijirou, and you loved Eijirou so it was safe to assume Tetsutetsu was a great guy!

Waiting for Midnight to finish drawing lots, you ambled over to Mashirao, frowning a bit. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you were under the influence of Hitoshi's quirk, or I would have done something..." you apologized, bowing slightly, and your classmate looked a bit flustered at your sudden appearance. It probably didn't help that you were still in the cheer uniform.

Scratching the back of his head, he nodded once. "I don't blame you, Freecss," he started, with a quick interjection from you for him to call you by your first name before he continued, "[Y/n], then. Just be careful of him. I think his quirk has something to do with his voice - the moment I answered his question was when I blanked out." You two weren't given anymore time to discuss Hitoshi's quirk as Midnight announced that the brackets had been decided.

That was weird, though. You had definitely given Hitoshi ample opportunity to use his quirk on you, so why didn't he?

Looking up as the names on the board were revealed, you found your name quickly, struggling to read the other one.

"Ka... mi... na... ri... Oh, Denki!"

Momo gave you a strange glance. "Did you not know Kaminari's last name, [Y/n]?"

Your response was automatic, and you gave it no thought. "No, I'm just not used to reading this language yet."

Before Momo could ask you what you meant, you wandered off, in search of your first opponent and leaving your mature friend behind in a state of confusion. Finally you found him standing by Katsuki and Eijirou, and you pointed dramatically at him as he whistled.

"Lookin' nice, [Y/n]! You can fight me in that outfit if you want, but it won't change the fact that I'll beat you."

He was cheeky, but you were determined and not at all shameful of your outfit, unlike Eijirou and Katsuki who both averted their gazes bashfully. "Kaminari Denki, I'm going to annihilate you!"

"'Annihilate'...?" Eijirou repeated, questioning your choice of words. You didn't elaborate, and instead went back to your normal cheery demeanor.

"Good luck, Denki!"

Skipping away, you had just enough time to hear Denki say, "Man, [Y/n] may be hot, but she's also weird sometimes..."

You didn't stick around to hear Eijirou's or Katsuki's response (if there _was_ any). Instead, you were too engrossed in your mind, coming up with a battle plan.

Most definitely, you were going to take that first place spot.


	18. Uh Oh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are onto your strange behaviors.

"Let's go, U.A., let's go!"

Cheering and waving your pom-poms around, you didn't hesitate to join the other girls in cheerleading. As it turns out, a cheer battle _doesn't_ involve actual fighting. These terms were really misleading, honestly, but you weren't about to complain right now. You were having _much_ too fun prancing around in your outfit, and unlike your more shy friends, you definitely didn't mind the attention. Around you, everybody was participating in the scavenger hunt. You were honestly half-tempted to join in, but weren't entirely sure.

"Quick, I need something orange!"

Eijirou had run up to your group, and you were first to comply, giving your friend a grin. 

"Here ya go!" 

Without any further hesitation your hands went to the hem of your shirt, starting to pull it up before Momo, Kyoka, and Eijirou quickly put a stop to that. Momo yanked down your shirt, whacking your hands away, while Kyoka quickly covered so nobody would see your slip up. Meanwhile, Eijirou was waving his hands around in panic, a blush so red it matched his hair present on his face.

Once the three were reassured that your shirt was going to stay on, Momo scolded you. "Have you no shame?!"

". . . Not really, no."

You were clearly stressing Momo out, and she reminded you somewhat of a tired mom. Turning to Eijirou, who was still heavily embarrassed by what he almost saw, you shrugged as if it was just an ordinary thing for you to strip in a stadium of thousands. "I'll just come along with you, then, so you can win!"

That was a much better solution than handing your clothes to your classmate, and after bidding goodbye to your friends you happily followed him to Midnight, who confirmed Eijirou's scavenger hunt item.

"Were you really going to give me your shirt?" Eijirou asked. He was more relaxed now as he laughed, but it was easy to tell that he was still somewhat flustered as you shrugged.

"It's just clothing, right?"

"I... don't really think that's the problem here."

You didn't really see the problem either, but decided to not bother Eijirou about it as Midnight announced the next game. It seemed to be a sort of team race to push giant balls around the stadium. Turning to your friend, you grabbed his hands in excitement, and he matched your enthusiasm. "Let's be a team, [Y/n]!"

You nodded, but before you could verbally agree you felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to pause.

"Freecss... Can we talk?"

Turning around, you realized the voice was coming from Shouto, and you glanced back at Eijirou, shooting him an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, but maybe we can play another game together!"

Eijirou took your rejection in stride, shooting you one last thumbs up before joining up with Denki and Hanta to do the race.

Shouto started to walk out of the way and away from the crowds of people. Was he going to tell you the same stuff he told Izuku? You weren't entirely sure you were prepared for him to tell you his entire life story and trauma yet, and already felt awkward that you knew about it all in the first place when you most certainly weren't supposed to. Eventually, you two stood in a little alcove set away from the field and, more importantly, away from students.

Turning to face each other, you waited in anticipation as he just stared at you for a moment, his narrowed eyes unreadable.

"Um..."

Shouto spoke up just as you were going to try and fill in the silence. ". . . What are you wearing?"

You twirled around happily and somewhat obnoxiously. "Aren't I cute?" you asked, picking the edge of your skirt up with your forefinger and thumb, as if you were going to curtsy.

The heterochromatic boy remained silent for a moment, averting his eyes from your form as he spoke up again. ". . . Yeah."

"Wait, did you actually--"

Shouto cut off your surprise as he started to speak up again, giving you no time to mull over the fact that he agreed with you and basically said you were cute. "I wanted to speak to you about what happened at the USJ," he told you carefully, and his eyes met yours again with a ferocity that made your mind stumble. Didn't Detective Tsukauchi say nobody would bother you about this?! First Izuku, and now Shouto - if this kept up, you were _not_ going to be able to handle this!

You were hesitant, but nodded. "Okay..."

He continued at your reluctant agreement. "When those villains appeared, they seemed interested in you, and then you started shouting about another world and abilities..." You didn't like where this was going, and you tensed. Aizawa was going to _murder_ you if people kept finding out about your secret. Sure, being discreet wasn't really something you were talented in, but this was ridiculous!

Internally freaking out, you kept a straight face as Shouto continued, his eyes watchful and his tone thoughtful. Maybe if you faked sick you could get out of this situation? Or just lie! It wasn't the preferable thing, but it was certainly better than all of Class 1-A slowly figuring out your true identity, right?

"... Are you a chunibyou?"

. . .

"Uh, what?"

Your brain stopped for a moment as you tried to compute the term he just used. _Did this kid just basically ask if I'm delusional...?_

Shouto rolled his eyes. "You always act like you're above everybody and hiding some great secret, insinuating you're from another world, and now your disillusioned thinking has attracted the attention of the League of Villains. You should really quit it."

You were still reeling from being asked if you had middle-school syndrome, but then realized this was a great opportunity for you! You didn't have to come up with an escape plan at all! It would be much easier to agree with him, right?

Slowly you nodded, before forcing out an embarrassed laugh. "You, uh, you caught me! I act extra to get attention and make friends," you lied, feeling a bit embarrassed that you were basically calling yourself crazy.

Oh well. Gotta do what you gotta do.

Shaking his head, Shouto stared you down, and you could feel yourself start to sweat. What, was he now going to doubt you?! Getting nervous, you frantically continued to basically insult yourself. "I know other worlds don't really, um, exist, but I didn't think the villains would be interested! And I have to keep this lie up, so, um, can you not tell anybody else about this?"

You were really stretching it thin, but finally Shouto relented, giving you a short nod. "Whatever. It's not my business anyways, I just wanted to confirm my suspicion." His words were somewhat arrogant, but you were already digging yourself in a hole and didn't want to make it any worse. Besides, he was apparently not done with you yet. "Even if you... are _strange_, I still stand by my earlier statement. If we face each other, I _will_ win."

Calling you 'strange' was a very nice way of putting it, but you didn't comment on his word choice. Instead, you nodded once, your shaky smile morphing into a fired up grin. "Better watch it, Shouto, because I won't accept anything less than first place!"

He nodded once, and you thought for a moment you saw his lips quirk upwards before he turned away. Without another word he walked off, and it was only when he was far enough away that you allowed yourself to relax, your grin fading into a conflicted expression. "Man, that was _way_ too close..." You murmured, raking a hand through your hair. Shouto was pretty observant and was on the right track at first, but you were thankful that his conclusion was far away from the truth.

"I'm calling bullshit."

Yelping, you whirled around at the new voice to see Katsuki standing there, looking irritated as always. "Were you eavesdropping again?!"

He didn't answer you as he stalked closer, hands shoved into his uniform pockets. "I'm calling bullshit," he repeated. "There's no way all that fucking shit happened only for you to be a chunibyou. I'm going to fucking find out the truth." Your mouth gaped in shock. Out of all the people to be on your ass about this, you did _not_ want it to be Katsuki! You gave him points for persistence, but you knew your classmate well enough by now to know that he was _never_ going to relent until he figured it out. Telling him was also out of the question; you weren't sure if you really trusted him enough to tell him your secret. Or if he'd even believe you.

Following in Shouto's path, Katsuki pushed past you his shoulder bumping into you. You just stood there, taken aback by what just happened before he stopped, not bothering to look behind as he addressed you again. "And change out of that fucking uniform. You look like a clown."

With that, he stalked off, and you shook your head, trying to gather your bearings at that abrupt conversation.

"...I look fucking cute as hell."

Huffing, you went back to the field, brain swimming. So much had just happened to you in the span of ten minutes that you weren't entirely sure where to begin with your thoughts. You knew Katsuki was definitely going to be a problem if it wasn't addressed, whether you told him the truth or made up a more plausible lie than just being delusional. You figured you could talk to Izuku or Aizawa about it. Now that you thought about it, you should probably tell Aizawa that Izuku knows about you, as well...

At the very least you could rely on Shouto not being a problem anymore. With him thinking you were just a crazy person, he probably wouldn't bother you anymore on what you were talking about back when the League of Villains first appeared. It was a small blessing, but with all of your problems you were thankful that the Todoroki wasn't going to be one more tacked on to your ever growing list.

When did your life become so messed up and crazy?

You were too bothered to continue in on the festivities. Just as they were starting some weird variation of what looked to be the egg toss with various hoops, you went inside to one of the sitting rooms, wanting to take a moment to yourself. In there sat Izuku and Mashirao, and you gave them both a tight smile.

Izuku looked to be inwardly panicking, and you hummed. "You ready for your fight?"

Izuku and Mashirao exchanged a glance before the curly-haired teen nodded hesitantly. "Y-yeah... [Y/n], you were also on Shinsou's team, right? Did he use his quirk on you?"

You shook your head, and then after some thought, said, "I think Mashirao was the only one affected. Yuuga seemed absolutely normal, and I had control of myself the entire time." Poor Mashirao. He was the only one who got played like a fiddle.

He seemed to come to the same realization you did as his face became even more grim.

Sighing that you weren't going to be much help, Izuku slumped and you patted his arm sympathetically. "Don't worry, Izu. Just don't talk at ALL and you'll beat him in a heartbeat! He's my friend too, but in the end it's you that I'm cheering for!" You pumped your fist in the air in an attempt to motivate him, and besides the light blush that covered his cheeks at your nickname, it seemed to work. It was only a little bit, but he nodded shakily once, giving you a wobbly grin.

"Y-yeah! Thank you, [Y/n]!"

You gave him a thumbs up. "No problem!" Sitting down at the same table as the two, you leaned forward, resting your head on your hands as you faced Mashirao. "Again, I'm really sorry about Hitoshi... He told me what his quirk was, but I didn't think he was using it on you..." You guiltily trailed off, eyes downcast as Mashirao put his hands up, shaking his head to tell you that your apology was appreciated but not needed. Izuku, though, seemed contemplative.

"Do you know Shinsou, [Y/n]?"

Your head bobbed up and down. "Yep! We ran into each other a couple weeks back in the hallway," you explained, opting to _not_ tell them that you basically barreled into the poor guy and nearly took him out. Technically you were still telling them the truth, right?

Present Mic started to speak up again, the three of you wincing at how loud his voice was over the intercom in the room. The first match was, obviously, between Izuku and Hitoshi, and you patted the former's head twice as if he were a little kid. "You've got this, Izuku! After all, you hold a lot of potential."

He was too nervous to really respond, but thanked you regardless before you and Mashirao left the room, heading up to the little stands that the festival participants were supposed to be in. One of the teachers had made a makeshift rectangular arena for people to fight on out of cement, and you admired it as you sat next to Eijirou near the front, with Momo behind you.

"Um, [Y/n], you're still in that cheer uniform?"

You gave Eijirou a thumbs up. "It's really cute and comfy!"

Behind you, Momo sighed, looking a bit exasperated with your childish antics. "You know you're going to have to change, right? They won't let you fight in anything other than your gym uniform."

"Awww, dang it!"

You quickly got up and left the stands, not wanting to miss out for the beginning of Izuku's fight, and changed into your gym uniform in a record amount of time, quickly sprinting back up. You didn't want to use your nen, needing to conserve it for your battles, and made it just as the two approached the little arena, facing off.

_Midoriya Izuku vs. Shinsou Hitoshi..._

Waiting in anticipation, the only thing you could do was watch from the stands as the first battle in the last stage officially began.


	19. Realized Capacity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a moment with Shinsou; Poor Sero gets his shit wrecked.

Leaning over the side rail, you weren't surprised to see that Hitoshi was talking. If his quirk was really voice activated, it made sense that he would say stuff to goad Izuku into talking. Both you and Mashirao had warned him though. There was no _way_ that Izuku would be a fool enough to - 

"What did you say?!"

Aaaaand you stand corrected.

Burying your face into your hands, you let out a long groan. It was game over - under Hitoshi's mind control quirk, he could literally make Izuku just say "I give up!" and it'd be the end of it. And after Mashirao and you had warned him! Behind you, you could hear Mashirao also note that, his voice dejected.

Hitoshi apparently wasn't going to make it quick, though. His voice echoed in the stadium, telling Izuku to walk out of bounds, and immediately Izuku complied, turning around and slowly making his way to the edge. Was this really how it was going to end? With Izuku forfeiting himself against his own will?! You clenched your fists, leaning over the side of the rail. You barely noted the hand that had reached out and grabbed the back of your jacket to keep you from falling over as you were intently focused on the battle. And despite the lack of fighting, it _was_ still a battle - this one, though, was mental. You'd just have to trust Izuku to pull through.

Around you, your classmates began to freak out, yelling at Izuku to snap out of it. Nothing worked, though, as he continued to trudge forward sluggishly. You leaned forward more, and the hand on your jacket yanked you back, causing you to stumble and look over your shoulder. Naturally, it was Eijirou, and he shook his head at you as he let go of you.

"You're going to fall if you lean like that, [Y/n]."

You nodded once, turning your attention back to the fight and being more mindful of the railing you were on. Izuku was nearing the edge, and you started to grow frustrated.

_Come on.... come on!_

You couldn't handle this anymore! Cupping your hands around your mouth, you leaned forward (with poor Eijirou grabbing the back of your jacket again). "COME ON, IZUKU! GET IT TOGETHER!"

Whether it was your own voice or Izuku's strong will, _something_ did the trick. Just as his foot was about to cross the painted line, wind gusted around him. It didn't take a genius to know that Izuku had done something, and you took a moment to realize _damn, this is the first time I've actually seen Izuku use his quirk__!_. Feeling your hair whip back, you shielded your face for a moment before peering down. Izuku was making haste, not a single word leaving his mouth as Hitoshi began to yell at him.

You felt bad. Hitoshi truly just wanted to become a hero, but Izuku was also trying to reach his own goals, and neither were going to relent. As Izuku reached Hitoshi, he immediately began to push, shoving the lilac-haired boy closer and closer to the edge as Hitoshi desperately tried to stay in. Finally, realizing that Izuku wasn't going to speak, he punched him square in the face.

This didn't stop Izuku, though. You couldn't see your friend's face but you could imagine the sheer determination that was probably placed on it as he continued to push. The two grappled momentarily, and you gasped as the tables were turned with Izuku being shoved towards the line.

_No... Izuku!_

Thankfully, Izuku was a quick thinker. In an instant he had grabbed Hitoshi's arm, pulling him over and slamming him on the ground - and right over the line.

"Shinsou Hitoshi is out of bounds! Midoriya Izuku advances to round two!"

It was a sort of anti-climatic - and _very_ short - fight, but nonetheless the audience cheered at Midnight's declaration.

Your peers gave a collective sigh of relief as they joined in with the celebrating, and you leaned back into your seat, a hand fluttering up to your chest. You hadn't realized, but watching Izuku slowly walk to the edge of the arena had been really intense, and you had to take a few deep breaths to calm your thumping heart. In the end, Izuku won, and that was what counted, right?

_But Hitoshi..._

Standing up, you asked Eijirou to save your seat before you left the stands area, deciding to go down and meet Hitoshi. He was your friend too, but in the end you cheered for Izuku only. Did that make you a bad friend? Probably, so it would be best to apologize!

By the time you had made it down to the arena, it seemed like Izuku and Hitoshi had finished talking, and you stood by in the little tunnel leading to the field, waving to both of them to try and grab their attention. It didn't work. Realizing that they both probably couldn't even see you from the awkward angling of the arena, you sat down with your back against the wall, waiting for them to walk through.

Hitoshi came through first, fortunately, and didn't notice you until you jumped off the ground, effectively startling him.

"Oh, it's you."

You gave him an apologetic grin. "You were so close to winning! I really thought you were going to succeed for a moment," you told him, and he returned your bright gaze with an unimpressed one, his eyes hooded slightly. Taking a step towards you, he scoffed.

"Yet you cheered for Izuku."

Your grin somewhat dampened, and you sighed, wringing your hands slightly. "You're both my friends," you explained, "but... I've trusted Izuku with a very important secret, and to repay him, I'm going to support him no matter the cost." You met his gaze evenly, your face becoming more serious. "But you're my friend no matter what, and I'm supporting you too! You did really good, and I know you'll make it into the hero course!"

Your enthusiasm wasn't contagious this time. Hitoshi still looked stone-faced as he took another step closer, but you stood your ground, refusing to back up. Eventually, you two were only inches apart.

"[Y/n], what is your quirk?"

The random question caught you off guard. "Ah... It's Boost. Basically, I can just upgrade my speed and strength and stuff like that." Your tone was somewhat confused, but you complied nonetheless and told him. He only hummed in response, and you stared back in his eyes waiting for an explanation.

Up this close, you never realized how pretty of a purple his eyes were, reminding you of the soothing lavender that used to grow outside of Aunt Mito's house growing up...

Hitoshi finally spoke again, snapping you back to reality. "As I thought. My quirk doesn't work on you."

You were startled as he leaned forward, and you could feel his breath on your lips and over your face. Your mind was blank, but not in a way that made you feel like his quirk was activating on you. You were just shocked at both the closeness and the fact that apparently he's been trying to use his quirk on you to no avail?

At the close proximity between you two, you flushed a bright red and backed up, your back clumsily hitting the wall behind you. Hitoshi stayed close, hovering over you as he rested his arms on each side of your head, leaning in.

_Oh my _god_ is he going to kiss me?!_

By all means, you weren't a very shameful or modest person, but this closeness...!

Just centimetres away from your lips touching, Hitoshi spoke up again. His eyes bore into yours, and you suppressed a shudder. It was as if he could see through your very _soul_.

"[Y/n]," he murmured, eyes narrowing in thought, "just what exactly are you hiding?"

Your brain was on overdrive, and you _swore_ you could feel his lips brush against yours as he spoke, your heart picking up a pace so fast you were afraid it would beat right out of your chest.

"I.... I..."

Now you were stammering, your brain unable to compute. [Y/n].exe has crashed!

"Shinsou? [Y/n]?"

Izuku's voice echoed slightly in the tunnel and Hitoshi pulled away, putting his hands in his pockets and shooting you a lazy grin. "I'll figure it out sometime. We'll talk later," he promised, sparing Izuku a glance before he set off, leisurely walking away from the two of you. Now having room to yourself, your legs buckled underneath you as you slid down the wall, your face and body on fire.

_He almost kissed me..!_

Seeing you fall, Izuku quickly ran towards you, crouching down besides you and obviously freaking out as his hands waved around. "[Y-Y/n], are you alright?!"

Mutely, you nodded, your fingertips grazing your lips before you spoke to reassure your friend. "Y-yeah. I'm good." With Izuku's help, you managed to stand back up, your legs still feeling like jell-o. "Man, that was intense..."

"What happened?" Izuku looked over at you, his voice full of curiosity.

Shaking your head, you responded, "He's on to me. Somehow he managed to realize something is off about me." You were grumbling. Granted, you didn't care if people knew about your secret - you were only being quiet about it due to your teachers' and Detective Tsukauchi's request. However, that didn't mean you wanted everybody guessing! Sure, you've made a few slip-ups (okay, a _lot_ of slip-ups), but you thought you had been good at acting normal in this world!

Apparently not.

Izuku seemed to understand the severity of situation, glancing down the tunnel to where Hitoshi had disappeared as the two of you continued to walk. He didn't reply right away, and you had an idea, turning to Izuku fully.

"He said his quirk didn't work on me," you told him. "And Shigaraki's didn't, either. I wonder..."

"If it's because of your nen?" Izuku finished, and you sharply nodded, your face contemplative as you thought about it. You didn't really understand all of the technicalities of nen in this world considering it wasn't commonplace and nobody else had nen, but it confused you. Obviously, you weren't immune to all quirks. During the cavalry battle you had firsthand experienced both Denki's _and_ Shouto's quirks, neither of which were very fun to endure. You'd think it was just mental quirks, but Shigaraki could literally disintegrate anything he touched, which was most _definitely_ not a mental quirk.

Relaying these thoughts to Izuku, he nodded a bit before starting to mutter incomprehensibly under his breath. You took a step back, raising your hands in a placating motion.

"Um... Izuku?"

He either didn't hear or chose to ignore you. Either way, he was still muttering, and you sighed before lightly whacking him on the back of his head. _This_ worked, and he looked up at you in shock. "[Y-Y/n]"?

You shook your head at his antics. "Come on, we can talk more about this later. The next match is Shouto and Hanta, and I want to get back up there before it starts." Izuku held up his hands, and you winced seeing his two fingers. They were definitely broken, the two fingers extremely swollen and decorated in an amalgamation of purples, reds, and black.

You gingerly took his hand, before taking a deep breath.

"What are you--?"

Without further ado, you channeled your nen into his hand. You weren't a pro at this by any means, but had been practicing on yourself and needed new test subjects. Slowly, his hand glowed a faint yellow, and he watched in shock as the swelling went down, his fingers reverting back to a normal skin tone. Finally, you let go, the glow dimming down. It was a small enough wound that you didn't feel any repercussions, which was good.

Izuku examined his hand for a moment in wonder, before turning to you. "Th-thank you, but... you shouldn't have done that. You need to save your strength." His concern was unneeded, but you were touched nonetheless.

Waving away the concern, you grinned at him. "It didn't even affect me! Besides, I can say the same. If you went to Recovery Girl, it would have drained your stamina, so this way you still have enough energy to fight Shouto. Because, no offense to Hanta, but Shouto is _way _too powerful. How does it feel?"

The green-haired boy's nod was hesitant before he gave you a small smile, flexing his fingers. "Sore, but not broken anymore." You could see he was somewhat bothered, more likely than not about his upcoming match. You didn't blame him. While excited, you could deny that you would be a bit tense at first when it came to fighting either Shouto or Katsuki.

Grabbing Izuku's hand, you had started to drag him back, but he gently untangled his hand from yours and sent you a soft smile. "I'll meet you up there. I need to do something first." While a bit sad that you two couldn't walk back together, you understood, giving him a small nod.

"I'll meet you up there, then. Just make sure you're back in time for the next match!"

With that said, you went back up to the stands, immediately sitting back down next to Eijirou. You had a couple of battles until your own, and you had a perfect strategy. If you won against Denki, you'd be either going up against Mei or Tenya. You figured you could take out Mei easily, but Tenya might be a bit more difficult. You'd have to watch him carefully when their fight came up, but for now...

"Next up is... these guys!"

Leaning back, you sighed. "As much as I love Hanta... I'm afraid this match-up is totally unfair," you said, earning a shake from Eijirou.

"You gotta believe in your friends, [Y/n]!"

"... I _guess_."

For a moment, though, things were going good. As soon as the match started, Hanta had wrapped Shouto up with his tape, and in an instant was trying to swing Shouto out of bounds. It was the best strategy, honestly. Shouto's offensive and defensive power were both scarily well-developed in a way that made you wonder what kind of training he had been forced through when he was younger, so it was best to quickly move before he could and try to push him out. With a person like Shouto, there was no way that giving up was an option.

And then, of course, Shouto retaliated.

Not even a second later, ice shot up, and if you had leaned back even a second later you would have been hit as well. Covering the stands, you wouldn't be surprised if it had gone over the edge of the stadium.

"Th-that's way t-t-too much!" You tried to say, teeth chattering from the cold. Your red-haired friend nodded vigorously in agreement as it was announced that Shouto would move to the next round, with the audience then shouting "Don't worry about it" over and over again. It was grimly funny, something you weren't sure you were going to let Hanta live down any time soon.

_If Shouto wins against Izuku and I continue to advance, though_...

For sure, Shouto was going to be an extremely tough opponent. While you hadn't really addressed all of the issues with your newest and most powerful move, you had a feeling you were going to be forced to use it if the two of you wound up facing off. _If_. If anybody else could beat Shouto, you had a feeling it would be Izuku. But if Izuku won, then you'd most likely be fighting him, and you didn't want that, either! 

"Agh!"

Startling Eijirou and Momo behind you, you groaned in frustration, putting your face in your hands. Either way, you were going to be in a difficult situation! Why couldn't you just be pit up against Katsuki?! 

Misunderstanding your frustration, Eijirou patted you on the back. "Don't worry, the ice will be gone in no time. You're up next against Kaminari, aren't you?"

Oh yeah. To get to Shouto or Katsuki...

You were going to have to defeat Denki, first.


	20. HERO A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaminari gets yeeted.

Thankfully, it took some time for the stage to melt and dry, so you had time. Greeting Hanta as he came back to the stands (he did _not_ appreciate you telling him to jokingly "not worry about it", but you couldn't help it!), you stood up, stretching your arms above you. It would be best to make your way down to the waiting rooms now and devise a game plan.

"Good luck!"

At the friends that wished you luck on your way out, you shot Denki a playfully wink before heading to the waiting rooms. From what you had previously observed, if Denki used too much electricity, it literally fried his brain. Your best bet would be to use your nen to form a protective layer of ko around your body and project it outwards to prevent yourself from getting electrocuted. You had already gotten the bad end of Denki's quirk once today - you did _not_ want to feel that again.

You figured you could just get him to fry his own brain, and then yeet him out of the arena. That was a solid plan, right? If your nen didn't protect you, though... You weren't sure what else you could do to protect yourself from his quirk, honestly. Right now, this was the only option you could think of.

It'd have to do.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, you heard Present Mic's voice over the speaker, indicating that you needed to start walking out into the stadium and onto the stage. You weren't really nervous, but your entire body tingled with anticipation nonetheless. As rude as it was to think about, Denki was nowhere near your biggest worry right now. You were much more concerned with the fights you would face _after_ this match.

_Sorry, Denki_ _!_

"Accepted into U.A.'s hero course late through recommendations, is Class A's Freecss [Y/n]! Offense, defense - with her quirk _Boost_, she can do it all!"

You appreciated the little introduction Present Mic gave you as you walked up the steps, slowly watching Denki appear from the other side.

"VERSUS Sparking Killing Boy! From the hero course's Class A, it's Kaminari Denki!"

You take it back. Why did Denki get the cool nickname, and you didn't?!

That shouldn't be your biggest worry right now. Meeting you on stage, Denki looked completely relaxed and smug, as if he already had the battle in the bag, and you couldn't help but feel annoyed. You were totally going to wipe that look off his face! Well, more like he was going to wipe the look off his face himself, since your plan here was to make him overuse his quirk.

Let's just hope it works, or else you're going to be in for a very rough time.

Still on a roll, you waited impatiently for the match to start as Present Mic continued to talk. "Now, we'll have a super flashy battle this time too, so give it your all, alright?! Now, START!"

You and Denki faced off for a moment, and he was the first to speak, grinning cockily over at you. "Hey, [Y/n], why don't we go on a date once this is all over?"

His sudden question took you aback, and you thought it over, before nodding once. "I mean, if you're not too upset by losing, a date would be super fun!"

Matching your surprise, he faltered for a moment, clearly not having expected you to agree. "W-wait, you really want to go out on a date?"

"Yes! So let's end this quickly!"

You then, surprising everybody, sat down to wait patiently for Denki to make the first move. Wrapping yourself in nen, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. Your ko wrapped your entire body - you had seen how Denki fights. He tends to do a giant blast to try and end the fight first thing, not wanting to draw out battles. While his move, granted, was _extremely_ strong (you already had a taste of being electrocuted, after all), he would probably go brain dead after his first attack. While sitting down seemed a bit stupid, your legs were crossed underneath you in a way that if Denki decided to do a frontal attack without his quirk, you could easily defend, although you weren't really banking on it.

"Freecss is sitting down?! You're supposed to be fighting, not relaxing!"

Ignoring Present Mic's commentary, you smiled cheerily at Denki, who just stared at you, abashed. "Well? Gonna make a move, Denki-chu?"

Denki shook his head, although you could see the light flush of red that dusted his cheeks at your nickname. "You really are casual about this... I'm sorry if this hurts, [Y/n], but I'm not going to lose!" At his words, yellow electricity started to gather around him, nearly blinding you. "Indiscriminate shock... 1.3 million volts!"

_I really hope this works!_

Just as the electricity raced towards you, you grit your teeth and put all your effort into strengthening your aura, a soft yellow glow radiating from you. Immediately, you could see Denki slouch, his normal sign of becoming a complete fool while you remained unaffected, yellow electricity flashing around you. There was a moment where a part of it sort of broke through, but it was more of a static shock than anything. Definitely not as painful as that could have been, even though the fight ended much sooner than you would have appreciated.

"What's this?! Freecss remains completely unaffected!"

Waiting until you were in the clear, you dropped your nen and leisurely walked forward and up to Denki.

Putting your hands on Denki's shoulders, you faked a look of seriousness as you looked into his face. God, you wanted to laugh, he looked ridiculous! "I'm sorry, Denki, but we can still have that date!"

"Whee..!"

Without further ado, you picked Denki up and lightly tossed him off the stage, effectively yeeting him out of bounds. As soon as you saw his body in the air, you hummed. _Maybe it would have been better if I just pushed him out of bounds instead of throwing him... he'll be fine._

Deeming it safe to let your nen go, the audience was quiet for a moment as Present Mic spoke up, mirroring your thoughts.

"Kaminari is out of bounds! But... Was throwing him really necessary?"

Despite the question, the audience started to cheer, and you felt your face grow red as you were declared the winner of your round and deemed to go on to the next stage. Having all of this attention on you was a bit nerve-wracking now that you were hear, not going to lie, but so cool, too! You hoped you looked as cool as you felt on television!

Walking off the stage, you watched in slight amusement as Denki was guided to Recovery Girl's office, scratching the back of your neck in slight embarrassment. Hopefully you didn't hurt him too bad with that throw...!

Making your way back up to the stands, you were met with both the eerie mutterings of Izuku and the congratulating cheers of your classmates. Izuku was much too immersed in his notebook to notice your return, and you laughed lightly as you went to go sit by Eijirou (the poor teen also looking off put from Izuku's behavior).

"Good job, [Y/n]! Did you really have to throw Kaminari, though?"

You groaned at the question, putting your head in your hands. "I didn't think about it!" you protested weakly, turning red from embarrassment. "It was only after I saw him in the air that I realized I could have just pushed him out of bounds..."

Thankfully, your classmates knew you didn't mean to actually injure Denki as they all laughed and teased you for the poor lack of judgement on your part. 

Tuning out the teasing and back into the next match, your lips pressed together in a thin line. Tenya vs. Mei. You weren't sure who you wanted to fight more, but either way you'd be fighting _one_ of them next, so you had to use this opportunity to analyze both of their fighting styles. You couldn't let yourself be distracted, there was only one way to get to the top and that was by winning against everybody!

Watching as Mei and Tenya's match started, you quickly realized that it wasn't going to be a battle like you were hoping for. You should have expected it, though, coming from Mei. She basically played Tenya like a fiddle, using him to advertise all of her cool gadgets to the other support companies that were more likely than not watching the sport's festival play out. Resisting the urge to face palm, you couldn't help the wry smile on your face. Your next opponent was _definitely_ going to be Tenya.

Sure enough, when Mei had her fill of humiliating the poor teen, she willingly forfeited, casually stepping off the stage as if Tenya's pride wasn't on the line.

_Poor Tenya... I'll make sure to give him a good fight when it comes around!_

This put you at a disadvantage, though. You had hoped to see them fight a bit more, so you could figure out Tenya's fighting style, but this didn't change anything! You wouldn't allow yourself to lose to him. Besides, if you can fight and survive people whom have come at you with intense killing intent, then you should be able to handle fighting against classmates. Right? Right.

Out of the corner of your eye, while Izuku was too mesmerized into his book, you saw Ochaco get up with her fists clenched as she left the stands. Normally, you would have left it alone, but... She looked extremely pale, and it worried you. Getting up as well, you were quick to follow.

"Ochaco!"

Running to catch up with her in the hallway, you placed a hand on her shoulder, obviously concerned. "Are you okay?"

She turned to meet your face with a clearly forced grin, and you noticed the sweat that beaded on her forehead. Was her upcoming match really that daunting? Who was she supposed to face aga- ah. You remember.

"I'm good!"

She was, most definitely, _not_ good. Sighing, you pulled her into a tight hug in an attempt to comfort her. While clearly surprised, the brunette eventually hugged back, and you could feel her shake slightly. Finally, after a few long minutes, you pulled away from her. "I... don't know if I can offer much advice," you admitted bashfully, "but I'll be cheering for you, alright? You'll do amazing out there as long as you believe in yourself!"

Noticing how her round eyes teared up slightly, she nodded once. "Thank you, [Y/n]! I hope to meet you in the finals!"

This made your smile widen. "Yes! We'll have a face-off like no other! You can do it, Ochaco!"

Figuring she probably needed some time to herself, you gave her one last thumbs up before heading back up, making it just in time for Mina's and Yuuga's match. You were obviously going to cheer for Mina, and before you knew it, the next two matches passed by like a blur, with Mina winning her match, and Tokoyami winning against Momo. Then was Eijirou versus a guy from Class B that was _way_ too similar to him (this fight, unsurprisingly, ended in a draw for the time being). This left for the final match of the first round, the one that everybody was most likely going to be tuned in on.

Ochaco and Katsuki.

You were a bit nervous for your friend, honestly. Katsuki, by all means, was _not_ a nice person. While you knew he wouldn't go easy, you wondered just how well Ochaco could go up against him.

_You gotta have faith in your friends, [Y/n]._

Eijirou's earlier words reverberated in your head, and you sighed, realizing he was right. You had to have faith in Ochaco. You had missed the mock battle simulation they all had before you arrived, but from what you had heard, Ochaco and Izuku were on a team against Katsuki and Tenya and they had won! That had to account for something, right? You also had gathered that Ochaco's quirk had something to do with gravity.

_I wonder if she can make Katsuki float up into space lmao_

From the stands, it was easy to tell that Ochaco was nervous. Part of it may have been because she's in front of such a big crowd, but also, Katsuki tended to scare the fuck out of most of your classmates. While you were usually unaffected by his brash behavior and explosive personality, your other classmates weren't the same. It seemed everybody wanted to avoid Katsuki if possible, save for you, Izuku, and Shouto. The self-proclaimed "Bakusquad" also tended to hang out around him, but it was easy to tell he still sometimes put them off.

Out of all of the fights, Ochaco's and Katsuki's lasted the longest. It was also, without a doubt, the most painful fight to watch. Ochaco most certainly gave her all, but in the end it was nowhere near enough to compete against Katsuki. In the end, Katsuki persevered, although not without hardship - in the middle of the fight, the audience had started to boo him like the idiots they were because they thought he was playing around with her.

_That's not true, though,_ you realized with a startling clarity, _It's because he gave his all that he respects her. More than anybody, I understand that._

You doubted Katsuki was one to let the crowd affect him, and sure enough, they continued to fight after Aizawa had reprimanded the pro heroes. While usually battle-hardened, each hit inflicted on Ochaco made you wince. Focused on the two on the ground, though, your gaze never once had lifted to the sky to see Ochaco's master plan until she was already enacting it, chunks of concrete raining down upon Katsuki.

Not once had you expected this to happen and you had leaned forward in anticipation, only for Katsuki to blast the debris away, and for Ochaco to eventually fall to the ground, defeated. Once Katsuki was announced the official winner of the match, you slumped in your seat, groaning.

"And I was really rooting for Ochaco..."

The others around you nodded in agreement, although none were surprised that Katsuki had wound up winning. He did, after all, place first in the entrance exams for a reason.

Watching as Ochaco was wheeled away on a stretcher, soon enough Katsuki came back to the stands, with everybody teasing him for not going easy on Ochaco. Tenya and Izuku both had left (probably to go comfort Ochaco), and you just waited by as a break began before the second round of battles began. With Eijirou dubbed the official winner of his rematch with Class B, that made the contestants all from Class A.

It was going to be one _hell_ of a time, and you weren't entirely sure you were ready anymore as you waited in anticipation for the next set of battles to begin.


	21. Intermezzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your next fight is certainly not exciting as your last one, but hey... Not everything can be peaches and gravy.

You were nervous. Despite the self-confidence and cockiness from before, you were actually _nervous_. Why? Fighting Tenya wasn't a difficult feat by any means. You spent 7 months training in the desert under the tutelage of a guy who dressed solely in hideous animal print and sparkly suits. You stood up against the S-Rank criminal group, the fucking _Phantom Troupe_, and got out with nothing more than a broken wrist and some sore muscles. You went through 5 different phases of the deadly Hunter Exam and managed to be one of the 9 out of 306 applicants that passed, not to mention the only _girl_ that passed.

So why the hell were you so nervous about facing off against a _classmate_?! This wasn't even life-or-death like your previous situations! You knew full well that the two of you would wind up fine, save for some minor scrapes and bruises. In fact, Tenya should not be your biggest concern right now. Was it the crowds of people watching? The possibility that somewhere, Hisoka and the other nen user were probably watching you on T.V.?

"Agh!"

You were a pacing mess, pacing around the waiting room. Shouto's and Izuku's fight had been brutal, with Shouto winning in the end and Izuku getting drastically owned. Painfully so. As much as you wanted to heal him, when you had entered Recovery Girl's office with intent to help with Izuku, you were immediately ejected and told to prepare for your own fight while they cleaned up and fixed the stage.

Despite what Shouto had said to Izuku, he had wound up using his left side after all. That would prove a problem if you won against Tenya - defending against both fire _and_ ice would be difficult, but you weren't raised to be a quitter. Besides, while difficult, the thought of such a challenge _excited_ you, made your blood boil in anticipation at the possibility of getting to experience both sides.

So immersed in a last-minute strategy and your incessant worrying, you didn't notice that somebody had walked in until they spoke up, nearly startling you.

"What the fuck are you doing, Chunibyou?"

Unimpressed, you whirled around to meet the perpetually angry, red glare of Bakugou Katsuki. Granted, he didn't look as angry as he usually did, but it didn't change the fact you had gotten a downgrade from his insult now. What was worse, you had "confirmed" Shouto's suspicion, so it's not like you could tell Katsuki you weren't delusional or else you'd be putting yourself at even more risk. The teen was already suspicious enough as it was!

"I'm thinking, you jerk. What do you want?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and you waited impatiently. Any moment, you'd be summoned to go out and start your fight with Tenya, so why was he hesitating?

After a moment, he finally spoke again, his voice nothing more than a grumble. "You won't lose."

Was that, dare you say, a _compliment_? Your hand fluttering to your chest in a sarcastic manner, you gave him the most exaggerated, touched look you could muster on your face. "_Awww_, Kachaan--"

"After all, I'm going to be the one to kick your ass, not that stupid glasses guy."

Aaaaand there was the catch.

Rolling your eyes, hearing Present Mic speak up over the PA, you started to walk to the door, pausing once to speak to Katsuki.

"I'm looking forward to it."

You could have sworn you saw him smirk out of the corner of your eye, but you had no time to ponder as you made your way up, your heart an anxious thrum in your chest. You've never had performance/fighting anxiety until now, but perhaps being in front of such a big crowd put a pressure on you like no other. Deep breaths. You just had to act like you normally do, and everything would be fine! After all, you were much more of an experienced fighter than your classmates, something you held on tightly to with an iron grip. After all, right now your experience was what you mostly had going for you!

Introductions aside, you and Tenya nodded at each other as you both made your ways up the stage. Was Tenya as nervous as you were? You were sure you looked cool and collected on the outside, and at the time, that was all that counted, right?

"And... START!"

Tenya didn't give you time to prepare, launching forward as he shouted "Recipro Burst!" His goal was to probably launch you out of bounds, and so on instinct you jumped, maybe putting a bit _too_ much power into it as you lurched into the air. Not prepared for you to vanish, Tenya skidded to the side, but you had no time to look back again as you hit the ground with a loud and pained _"oof"_.

"Iida is out of bounds!"

Uh, what?

Rolling over onto your back, you saw that Tenya had skidded past the white line, and you slowly clambered to a stand, your brain hazy. There was _no_ way you had just worked yourself up about this, only for the fight to be over in two seconds.

"Freecss advances to the next round!"

The audience cheering, you and Tenya just stared at each other for a moment in complete confusion. It was clear neither of you had just planned for that, and his expression of confusion changed into distraught as he realized that he had lost over such a stupid mistake. Making your way over, you gave him a tentative smile.

"I-I mean, I'm sure you would have been a good fight?"

He nodded briskly at you, chopping his arm down in the motion you were well familiar with. "I was looking forward to battling you, so I hope next time we get the chance! Good luck, Freecss!"

With that said, he was off, movements stiff as he went to the tunnel leading back up to the stands. You hesitantly trailed after him, still completely bamboozled over the quick match. Not in a million years had you imagined that fight to be so... so... _Lackluster._

At least you saved energy for your next match? With your advancement, even though it wasn't exactly as planned, you would be going up against Shouto next, and that was something you would definitely need to save your energy for. If he took it seriously and used both sides, you were going to have to be giving it more than just your 100%. For sure, Shouto was way too overpowered and could probably be unstoppable if he wasn't so reluctant to use his left side! It was honestly such a waste of potential!

Instead of heading back to the stands, you opted to head to the infirmary. You didn't need it, but you knew Izuku was there and you wanted to visit and see if he was doing well. When he was loaded onto the stretchers...

The thought of it made your stomach tighten.

When you got to the infirmary, you didn't bother to knock, opening the door immediately and going past the only curtain that was for sure hiding Izuku, not thinking anything more of it. The only problem was, you had expected him to be alone, not with some scrawny blond guy.

"Izu- Oh, I'm sorry," you apologized, bowing as the blond turned to face you. Immediately you recognized those eyes and were taken aback, blinking rapidly before your gaze swiveled back and forth between your worn out friend and the strange man. For a moment, it was quiet. "Uhhh... All... Might?"

Your words immediately sent both guys into a panic as All Might coughed up blood and Izuku paled considerably, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Apparently this... _different_ appearance of All Might was either not supposed to be revealed, or you had totally gotten it completely wrong. However, you were having extreme deja vu in this situation and had a feeling that you were right in your guess, especially since, when the man spoke up, it was clearly with All Might's voice.

"Young [Y/n]... How did you know?"

Closing the curtain behind you just in case, you pulled up another chair. Honestly, you found amusement in their shock. "One of my mentors reminds me a lot like you," you explained. "She looks like a small 12-year-old girl, but... she's actually really old and really scary." At the thought of Bisky's true form, you shivered and could feel yourself pale. Now that you thought of it, Bisky and All Might really _were_ a lot alike! You think you preferred All Might more, though; he didn't kick your ass whenever you made a mistake or slacked off.

Scratching his head, All Might looked extremely perturbed by your explanation. "Oh, and don't worry, I told Izuku the truth about myself! He knows aaaallll about my otherworldly nature!"

The poor man. Spitting up more blood out of shock, he shook his head, looking over at Izuku who immediately nodded and apologized. As if it was _his_ fault you told him your biggest secret!

Clearly concerned, All Might let out a long-winded sigh. "Young [Y/n], both of these secrets - yours, and mine - should not be shared with others. Do you understand?"

His voice was grim, causing your smile to falter as you nodded. "I - I know. I feel bad though for keeping my existence a secret from my friends but... I'm trying. I'll try even harder."

He patted your head, and you could feel your cheeks warm up. If Aizawa was like your dad, would that make All Might your uncle? "You're a good kid. I trust you. Now, what did you come here for?"

At his question you perked up again, eyes meeting Izuku's. He was still visibly shocked and tense, but you didn't let this deter you as you leaned forward. "I wanted to make sure you were alright! I can heal you, if--"

"N-n-no! I'm fine!"

You were sure if Izuku's arms weren't bandaged up, he'd be waving them around right now, but you sighed. He wouldn't relent, and you knew he'd argue saying you needed to conserve your nen and energy for your next fight. Speaking of which...

Seeming to realize you were here already, his eyes widened even further. "Oh! W-wait, did you and Iida already...?"

He trailed off, and you bobbed your head up and down. "I won! It lasted, like, 2 seconds, so you didn't miss anything."

"But... this means you'll be facing Todoroki next."

You gave him an over-confident grin and a thumbs up in response. "Yep, but I'll kick that icy boy's butt, easy-peasy!" Izuku didn't look entirely convinced, so you gave him a pat on the head as you stood up. "Just focus on resting up. Next time you'll be seeing me, I'll have a gold medal around my neck, okay?"

He still wasn't 100% on board with your line of thinking, but he nodded anyways, wishing you luck as you bid both him and All Might goodbye. You hadn't seen the state of his bandaged arms, but apparently he went through an emergency surgery so you could only imagine what they looked like.

_Oh, Izuku... You push yourself too hard._

When you got back to the stands, your classmates congratulated you again, and you looked down to realize you had missed an entire fight as Eijirou and Katsuki traded blows. Befuddled, you turned back to Momo, but she answered your question before you could ask it.

"Tokoyami won against Aishido," she told you, and you nodded once. In all honesty, you had been rooting for Mina. Girl power and solidarity, ya know?

Joining you shortly in the stands was Izuku, surprising you. You had expected him to stay down in Recovery Girl's infirmary, but you supposed you had gotten down there when she was already finished (meaning you had probably interrupted an important conversation between him and All Might). Now that you think of it...

Getting up, you sat next to Izuku, who was too immersed into the battle to really notice at first until you lightly poked his arm.

"Fre-- [Y/n]?!"

You appreciated him correcting himself to use your first name. "Hey, I forgot to ask down there, but..." you leaned closer so nobody could hear your whisper, "how do _you_ know about All Might's... uh, weakness?"

Your question flustered him almost immediately as he started to incomprehensibly stammer, and realizing you weren't going to get a solid answer out of him you laughed. "Don't tell me if you can't! I was just wondering!"

Face pale enough where his freckles seemed to pop out, Izuku nodded slowly. "I-I'm sorry, but... I can't tell you."

You were satisfied at that for now. While generally curious, there was _way_ too much on your plate right now to handle yet another mystery, especially considering after this match was your fated battle with Shouto. You were going to take a couple pages from Izuku's book; after all, your abilities were similar in nature. Both of you had an enhancer type of ability, and while you weren't entirely sure you could cause enough wind pressure to break ice like Izuku, if you attacked head-on with your _ko_, you could break the ice just as easily. Besides, you had one advantage that Izuku didn't - _your_ ability didn't break your body, unlike Izuku's.

Watching as the tables were turned on Eijirou, Katsuki launching blast after blast at your friend, you were only half-paying attention. While strategy wasn't your strong suit in any way, you had a feeling that "just winging it" wouldn't work this time around. Shouto could probably take Gon and Killua on if you thought about it, and that forced you to take this fight more seriously than the others. Your plan against Katsuki was to enrage and distract him, but... That probably wouldn't work too well on Shouto.

"Kirishima is immobilized! Bakugou wins!"

As the crowd cheered, you were jolted back into reality by a hand on your shoulder. Looking up, you met the encouraging gaze of Momo, whom had come up to you. "[Y/n], you should probably start heading down. Your fight is next."

You didn't see Shouto anywhere, meaning that he had probably already headed out and you nodded, letting out a drawn sigh. "I guess it can't be helped. I can't lie, I'm a bit nervous, but... I'll do my best to be number one!" Everybody around who heard your declaration sent you looks of encouragement, and with that said you walked off as well.

Once out of sight, your cheery grin dropped into a look of determination. This was the fight that you had been anticipating. It wasn't even the _final_ fight. After this, you'd be facing either Fumikage or Katsuki, both whom were also strong opponents, but after that declaration of war that Shouto had made on you... Well, you were definitely going to go 'plus ultra'!

Seeing the familiar red and white hair going into the waiting room, you called out to Shouto, causing him to stop in his tracks. He didn't look back, but you knew you had his attention at least as you jogged up to him.

"Hey," you started, and he turned around, his eyes cold. "It's all or nothing. I'm giving you my 100%, so I expect you to, too, okay? Like you did with Izuku."

Either he wasn't used to your more serious attitude, or was startled by your declaration - either way, his mismatched eyes widened in shock before going back to normal, and he huffed under his breath.

". . . We'll see."

It was a good enough promise to you, and you were determined to make him use both sides as you gave him a thumbs up, heading into your own waiting room. "It's a promise, then! See you on the other side, Todoroki Shouto!"

He nodded once and you went into the room. Unlike before, you weren't a pacing, nervous wreck. You felt an eerie calm wash over you, and time seemed to dredge on slowly before Present Mic once again summoned you both from the waiting rooms to start the next round.

Walking up on stage, you could barely notice the crowds around you cheering, or Present Mic's words. You were hyper-focused on your opponent before you, determinedly meeting the gaze of Shouto.

"You're trembling... Are you nervous?"

You looked down at your arms. Sure enough, they were shaking, but you didn't feel the pit of anxiety like you did against Tenya, and it only took you a quick second to figure out why you were shaking as you shot him an uneven and cocky grin.

"Not nervous... I'm _excited_."

You could see Shouto tense as you put a foot back, putting yourself in a better position to start the attack.

"Match, START!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> naruto vibes in the distance


	22. Iron Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a fatal flaw within your nen ability. I wonder where this seems familiar...?

Unlike your previous two matches, where there was a bit of banter and/or hesitation, that wasn't the case here. You and Shouto immediately leapt into action, knowing full well that even a second of hesitation would lead to defeat in your guys' case. 

Much like the past two battles Shouto led, a wall of ice was sent forward towards you. You had opted to jump high, focusing your _ko_ on your legs for your descent as your legs hit the ice below. Instead of sliding like most people expected, you shattered right through, shards of ice flying every which way.

You needed to get close! As long as Shouto had enough distance to put ice towards you, you were at a disadvantage, and both of you knew it as he sent wave after wave of ice. You had to be quick in channeling your nen, switching _ko_ between legs and arms as you barreled through the ice. Distantly, you heard Present Mic shouting, but you were hyper-focused on your goal of reaching Shouto.

Realizing that just plain walls of ice weren't doing it, spikes were sent your way, forcing you to jump up in the air as the ice followed you. While you could break out if you got caught, you weren't sure you wanted to deal with the cold that would inevitably follow being trapped in ice. Besides, you couldn't allow Shouto that opening, not now. Flipping in the air, you slammed your foot down on the spikes. While cold had seeped through your clothes, the ice gave in, allowing you access to Shouto as you came back to the ground.

Once you hit the ground, things had automatically picked up, no hesitation from either party as you struck out towards Shouto. The two of you engaged in a furious flurry of exchanged blows. For the time being, Shouto was mostly on defense, and you noticed how his movements had become somewhat sluggish, ice frosting over his body. Didn't something like this happen in his fight between him and Izuku, too?

Finally, one of your punches landed on Shouto's shoulder, although not at your 100% strength like you had expected. To conserve energy, you weren't using your _ko_ in your fists for the time being, knowing that this might be a long fight.

Shouto skidded back, but not far enough to the line, and the two of you stood for a second. If he had thawed himself with his flames or even retaliated, you wouldn't have landed a hit on him at all. What the hell was he playing at?

You pushed down the irritation welling up in your stomach, and launched forward just as Shouto sent another wall of ice towards you. You immediately used _ken_ all over your body and broke right through it. Shouto was prepared, though - you were like a human wrecking ball, and he seemed to catch on that as long as you could move, the ice wouldn't be a problem for you.

Closing in from the sides and towering high, ice surrounded you, although it moved at a slower rate. You were going to be closed in, and you huffed. The same move didn't impress you, and in a split-second decision you continued forward, able to outpace the glaciers that stood frozen in the arena. 

Anticipating this, Shouto had grabbed your outreached arm as you went to punch him, twisting you around and throwing you to the edge of the stage. It took all of your strength to keep you from skidding past the line, and you had to quickly jump up and forward as he sent yet _another_ wall of ice in an attempt to try and push you out of bounds.

Instead of smashing through like before, you found it just as sufficient to jump over, sliding down it clumsily and right towards Shouto. He had put some distance between the two of you, but you could see even from afar that his stamina was low. The excessive use of ice was taking a toll on him, and you felt another flare of anger rise up in you at the fact that he wasn't using his other side. You had seen him use it clear as day on Izuku, so why not you?! Were you not good enough for him? Was he too cocky and thinking that you weren't worth the effort? Either way, you didn't appreciate it.

Clenching your fists, you took a step forward, eyebrows furrowed out of sheer frustration. "Quit playing with me!" you demanded, and you watched as he furrowed his own eyebrows, faltering slightly. You pressed on. "So you can give Izuku your all, but not me? If you're going to waste my time, I'm ending this now!"

You shouldn't have let yourself lose control, in your defense, but you were getting heated at the injustice. You were taking this completely seriously. You had been looking _forward_ to this fight after Shouto's war declaration, and yet he was half-assing it, not even using half of his power? You understood reservations, but it wasn't fair to you, or to anybody else participating in the sport's festival who were also giving their all, trying their best to be number one while Todoroki Shouto refused to take anybody seriously.

Even though it was used as a last resort, a trump card for the final round, you stood where you were, taking a deep breath. You had to remain calm and concentrate on building up all of your nen - what was _supposed_ to happen was your new ability and trump card, _Higher Being. _By building up nen over time, _Higher Being_ was supposed to enhance everything for a limited amount of time - healing, speed, strength, endurance, stamina, and more. The length varied - you built up "energy" by receiving punches and storing it away into your hatsu. You hadn't really exchanged many blows with Shouto, though, so you didn't have much energy to store up. Still... It would give you about 5 minutes of this power up before reverting back to normal and exhausting your body, and that was more than enough time to win this fight.

At least, that's what _should_ have happened. Wind gusting around you at the pressure of your nen, you felt anger rear up at the fact that Shouto was just jerking you around, contrasting against the calm demeanor that you needed to activate this ability. A golden orange glow tinged in red engulfed your body violently, flaring upwards as you felt your nen expand as if you blew air into a balloon. The gold flickered around you like flames, wild and untameable, and for some reason you felt even angrier rather than accomplished and proud.

Hearing Present Mic's exclamation about your appearance over the speaker, you lurched forward at breakneck speed, barely giving Shouto time to dodge as you threw yourself onto the ground, using your hands to push your legs up in an attempt to kick him. He tried to catch the kick, but the strength behind it was much more than he had been expecting, and in an effort to keep himself from getting knocked off of the stage, he had no choice but to retaliate with fire.

Feeling the sudden warmth you felt a sudden and blinding rage that _now_ he figured you were good enough to fight fully. You were pushed back, skidding across concrete on your back as you hit the ice pillar from earlier that stood in the middle of the stage. Upon impact, the ice fell down around you, and you had to quickly roll out of the way to avoid being impaled by the larger shards.

Pushing yourself off the ground, you allowed yourself to haughtily grin over at him, the flames already dying down. The ice that crusted over him had almost immediately evaporated.

"Let's get serious."

Unlike his and Izuku's fight, where there was an intervention, you and Shouto were allowed to continue as you both burst forward, trading a series of blows unlike before. Ice jutted out, tearing the side of your uniform jacket and cutting along the side of your waist, and you didn't hesitate to land a heavy blow on his shoulder, both of you skidding back.

Exhaustion started to set in. It certainly had not been 5 minutes yet, which was what you had estimated your limit to be before you were completely out, but perhaps you had calculated wrong. There was something different to this ability, and you wondered if your feelings or injustice and frustration had a role to play. It would explain the different look of your aura. And this _wasn't_ to mention that you had been using nen excessively throughout the day, whereas during your training practices you had reserved all of your energy to work on this technique, but... You didn't really expect it to make _that_ much of a difference. Not that it mattered. You had finally gotten Shouto to use his other side, so no way in hell were you going to let yourself fumble!

Feet sliding back, you pushed yourself forward again, limbs feeling heavier and heavier by the second as you and Shouto clashed again. Fire licked at your skin, but you couldn't feel the searing pain that followed, too focused on the one goal ahead of you. Another push, and both of you skidded back, falling into the intense rhythm that was probably hard to keep track of for the audience.

Another wall of ice, and you sling-shot yourself through. Once you hit the ice, bursting through it, it was the catalyst for your ability. It didn't just fade - like the snap of fingers, it disappeared all at once, the glow around you disappearing out of existence. Your limbs grew unbearably heavy as your movements became sluggish. You felt _dizzy_.

_What. . . ?_

Shouto didn't realize until it was too late, flames arcing upwards as you were flung upwards. You saw the look of shock on his face, and in a moment to try and save yourself, you made an attempt to use your _ken_ to protect yourself from impact.

It didn't come.

With an earth-shattering thud, pain exploded throughout your body, your nen having disappeared and leaving your body defenseless. You felt heat on your right side, and it was only now that you realized that Shouto's fire had burned away part of your jacket, leaving your shoulders, collarbone, and a part of your bra exposed as you lied limply on the ground. Besides the ringing in your ears, you couldn't really hear anything as Midnight came over, leaning over into your view. Her mouth was moving, but your vision and ears were swimming and you couldn't make out what she was saying.

"--Freecss is out of commission! Todoroki moves on to the next round!"

Wait, no, that wasn't right... You were still in the arena!

You tried to protest, attempting to roll over onto your side so you could push yourself up, but your limbs disobeyed your will, flopping uselessly onto the ground as you were raised onto a stretcher by two little robots.

_No... I can't have lost!_

It hurt to move your neck, but Shouto looked upset as he stared after you, and that was the last thing you saw before your vision had faded into black.

When you had regained consciousness, you had immediately recognized you were in the infirmary. While your limbs felt sore and heavier than lead, you were able to sluggishly move them. Your chest was completely exposed, gauze wrapped around your entire torso and shoulders.

"Miss Freecss, you're awake."

Hearing the frail voice, you looked over to see the little old lady known as Recovery Girl walking towards you, her face stern.

"How long have I been out?" Your voice was hoarse and scratchy, causing you to wince when you heard the noise that left your throat. You sounded like you were dying, or like you lived in the desert or something. God, you weren't out for long, right?!

"Not even an hour." Despite the sweet tone, the look she gave you was anything but sweet, a disapproving glare that made you shrink back into your bed. "If you weren't so injured right now, I'd hit you for pulling a stunt like that. Just what were you thinking, [Y/n]? And don't even _try_ to lie, Mr. Principal told me all about your predicament."

That was a big oof, but you supposed it was justified. It made sense for her to know about your situation since she was the nurse and had to look after your injured ass. Speaking of which...

"Why do I hurt all over? I should have healed."

Your voice was puzzled as you lifted your arms, wincing as you did so. Bruises and scraped littered your skin. You were honestly just a little bit scared to see what lied under the bandages if even _these_ didn't heal.

Catching onto your confusion, Recovery Girl sighed. "Your stamina is too low for me to properly heal you right now, sweetie. The most you can do is rest up and I'll heal you as well as I can."

You shook your head. "No, I mean... My nen. I don't know how much Nezu told you, but it should have at least healed the minor stuff..." Now that you contemplated it, you felt... strange. You weren't sure how to explain it, and decided your best course of action would be to manually heal yourself with your nen. Closing your eyes, you tried to focus, urging your nen to get to work and...

_Nothing_.

It was there, a faint glimmer, but definitely unattainable and out of reach. It was as if a thick glass barrier separated you from your nen, rendering it unusable for the time being. 

Sensing your panic, Recovery Girl rested a hand on your knee so light you could barely feel it. Concern was visible on her visage, your [e/c] eyes widened out of fear. If you couldn't use your nen... It would come back. Right? _Right_? You were nothing without your ability, it almost felt like somebody had cut your arm off. Hell, you'd _rather_ your arm be cut off than lose your nen! Sure, your fighting capabilities were honed in and whatnot, but you relied on nen for almost everything. To be cut off from it...

It was only now that you realized that Recovery Girl had asked you a question, and you could feel tears well up in your eyes at the thought of being powerless. "I... My nen... It's there, but I can't access it at all."

You felt insanely cold, and you barely noticed as the door opened, a streak of green heading straight towards you in a familiarly panicked mood, although for different reasons.

"[Y/n]!"

Hearing Izuku's voice was a harsh slap back into reality, and you met his green eyes in shock. Immediately he had started to fuss over you, and it helped calm you down, even if it wasn't Izuku's intention. Your nen... You knew that using your ability would drain it. It's possible that you just needed to recharge from overexerting yourself. You'd be okay. You'd be okay.

Forcing a chuckle, you slowly pat his head. "I'm... okay, Izu. Please don't worry."

He wasn't convinced, his eyes lingering on your...

"Hey! My eyes are up here!"

Immediately the teen flushed, shaking his head and hands frantically. "N-n-no! That's n-not what I meant! I just... It's...!" Seeing him flustered was definitely worth it as you giggled, alerting him that you weren't actually mad. Calming down, Izuku shook his head. "When Todoroki hit you... It was bad. You got burned really bad, and we were all worried, but they wouldn't let us down to see you," he explained, gesturing towards the bandages. "What... happened?"

That was not something you wanted to talk about right now. "I just... pushed myself too hard. I can't really use my nen right now, so in this world's terms, I guess I'm quirkless?"

There was a faint thump from outside of the infirmary, but neither of you paid it any attention as you explained to Izuku. He seemed confused, but you didn't fault him for it. You had a strong understanding of nen and even _you_ didn't completely understand it. Maybe later you could do more research about this?

Reassuring your friend that he didn't have to worry about it, he just nodded unsurely. "It will come back?" Even you didn't know, but you nodded in response anyways, and he let out a sigh of relief. How much he cared, it really touched you. "Anyways... The awards ceremony is going to be soon..."

"Wait, is it already over?! Who won?!"

Izuku was quick to fill you in on Katsuki and Shouto's fight, explaining that Shouto already left the infirmary before you woke up. Damn, you really slept through it all... Judging by Izuku's description, you could only imagine how Katsuki was feeling right now. If Shouto really didn't use his left side on him and Katsuki won by a technicality, the blond was probably feeling extremely pissed off right now.

On cue, the infirmary door opened again, revealing Midnight who appraised you with a more serious look in her eyes. The way she spoke was lighthearted, but you could tell she also was a bit hesitant. Just what did you look like...?

Recovery Girl stepped forward. "She should stay here and rest..."

Midnight sighed, blue eyes flitting to you once before staring down at the elderly woman. "I know, but they want all students present for the ceremony. We can wheel her out if we have to."

"I do _not_ need a wheelchair."

And in a moment of brilliance, you flung yourself out of bed, your legs immediately buckling underneath you as you crashed to the floor, giving nobody time to catch your dumb ass.

"_FUCK_."

Groaning in pain as Izuku began to freak out, you just lied there limply. Okay. Maybe you _did_ need a wheelchair. You were a fucking mess, and there was no way you could walk and stand for more than even a couple of seconds. It took both Midnight and Izuku's help to even get you _into_ a wheelchair, with Recovery Girl admonishing your actions all the while.

Taking the reigns, Izuku had started to wheel you out, with Recovery Girl stopping him to talk to you before you left the infirmary.

"[Y/n], dear," she started, voice low, "A majority of your injuries were not the cause of Todoroki's quirk like everybody else believes. Whatever you did out there... That move really affected your body. You were lucky for it to just be superficial wounds, but if you kept that up for any longer, I fear that you may have caused something more serious to happen. For your own sake, don't try that again."

Her words were serious, and you nodded hesitantly. You had never had this happen before when training, so had you done something different when activating your ability while fighting? Either way, the way she worded it made it seem like it could incapacitate you if you went too far, and that was most certainly not a risk you were willing to take.

". . . I got it. Thank you."

With that said, Izuku wheeled you out. He politely didn't say anything about what Recovery Girl had told you even though you knew he had heard her, and for that you were grateful. It wasn't something you wanted to talk about right now. You were no longer in the mood for the sport's festival. You just wanted to get this over with, go home, sleep, and then maybe do some research to figure out what the hell you had done to make your body hate you like this. God, and that display was on national television... You could already imagine Hisoka's teasing and eerie smile at your attempt to fight. You just couldn't catch a break, could you?

With no more conversation as you were briskly wheeled to the podiums, you braced yourself, your thoughts still lingering on your ability. Despite the repercussions, you felt like you had just unlocked a very important discovery. With enough practice, you might be able to hone that ability in, but that meant going against everybody's expectations and trying it again.

_Sorry, Recovery Girl, but... I can't afford to just put this aside. I have a feeling that if I want to get home, I'm going to need to learn how to control this._


	23. Higher Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hisoka knows what's up. You have to come clean.

The awards ceremony went off without a hitch. You and Fumikage shared the third place pedestal, Shouto was on the second place one, and Katsuki was... well... You had definitely been right in your assumption that he wouldn't take his win well, and when you saw him, you realized your thinking had underestimated him. He was _livid_, and poor All Might had had to force him to take his medal.

After the ceremony, you all had reconvened in class just for Aizawa to tell you all that you'd have the next two days off and that when you all got back, you'd be scouted for internships or something? Honestly, today was exhausting and you were kind of zoning out.

Still confined to a wheelchair for the time being while you healed, once class was dismissed Izuku and Ochaco came up to you, both concerned. "[Y/n], are you going to be able to make it home..?"

At Ochaco's question, you looked over to see that Aizawa had magically disappeared, leaving you in the dust. Great. _Thanks, Dad_. Giving them a wry smile, you shrugged.

"I'm sure I can, but the company would be nice," you told them. "I'm just supposed to stop by Recovery Girl's office before I leave for her to check up on me one more time." Without your nen to speed up the healing process, you were in shambles and probably looked half-dead. On your face was a harsh bruise on your cheekbone, a couple of scratches and scrapes along the side of your face where you had hit the ground in your fight against Shouto. Underneath your uniform, however, bruises and cuts littered everywhere. And that wasn't even the worst of it - your collarbone and right side of your torso had been burned pretty bad. Shouto had avoided eye contact with you for the entirety of class, bolting out as soon as it was over.

It was obvious that he felt pretty guilty over you. You didn't blame him, but you didn't want him to beat himself up over it!

Izuku taking the reigns of your chair, he pushed you slowly to Recovery Girl's office as Ochaco walked alongside you, filling you in on what you had missed when you were passed out.

"Tenya's brother. . . ?"

"Ingenium, he's a pro-hero," Izuku filled in for you.

You nodded once, your face grim. Poor Tenya... "I hope he's alright. That's really scary! If somebody hurt Gon, I'd raise hell," you told them. Goodness, if somebody hurt Gon, you'd _murder_ them! Nobody hurts your little cinnamon-roll of a younger brother! You figured it would be best to maybe _not_ say that you would commit homicide for your family, though.

Ochaco tilted her head to the side. "Gon?" Izuku recognized the name, but you hadn't really filled him in on much of your friends and family back in your world. With Ochaco, though... She was _completely_ in the dark, and you were way too tired to even think of explaining the truth to her, so you decided to keep it simple.

Nodding, you hummed. "He's like... My younger brother. I don't know my parents, but when I was a baby Gon's aunt took me in. A couple years later, Gon's dad dropped him off on his aunt. We grew up, and went through a lot of hardships together. He's my most important person to me," you told them, smiling wistfully. "Being here is fun, but him and Aunt Mito don't live around here so it's hard sometimes. I miss them." You were homesick. Sure, this world _was_ fun at times (although infuriating as well), but nothing beat your world, your _home_.

. . . Would you ever make it back?

You hadn't realized that thinking about your old life had brought tears to your eyes until Ochaco started to freak out. "A-AH! I'm so sorry for making you sad, [Y/n]!!"

A hand slowly making it's way up to your face, you were shocked to feel the wetness and hastily wiped at your eyes. "No, I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a bit homesick!"

The brunette started to calm down a bit, and you shot her a soft smile, grabbing your hand. "Besides, I've been able to meet you all. It's worth it."

Your words seemed to affect your two friends. While you couldn't exactly see Izuku's face, you felt him sniffle, and Ochaco let out a loud "Aww!" before hugging you.

"A-ah, not so tight, Ochaco!"

"Oh! Sorry!!"

Soon enough, the three of you had made it to Recovery Girl's office, the old woman waiting by her door for you. Her face was still disapproving, but she saved you the lecture and gave you a big kiss as you requested her healing to focus on the burns. Those hurt the worst, and besides, you figured Shouto would be more at peace if he _didn't_ wind up scarring you. Sure enough, the angry and sensitive welts had soothed down into a light red sting, something that would most likely go away by tomorrow.

"Agh, I feel way too tired after that..."

At Recovery Girl's request, you were to take it easy over the next couple of days and stay in the wheelchair until you came back to school in two days. You weren't complaining - your legs felt like jelly. You would _not_ be able to walk right now.

Her gaze softening, Recovery Girl patted your head. "The rest will heal up quickly on their own, Freecss, but don't pull that stunt again. As I said, your... _quirk,_ put a lot of stress on your muscles. You're very lucky none of them tore under that stress," she scolded, before patting your cheek once. "Now get her home, you two, and I better not see any of you back here soon!"

Ochaco and Izuku affirmed her words as you all bid her goodbye, the latter wheeling you out of school. The sun was already setting, and as you told them where you lived you were glad to find out that you were on their way home. You'd feel really bad if they went out of their way to take you home!

Riding the train was awkward as they carefully lifted the handicap seat to fit your wheelchair in, a majority of the passengers being courteous in making room for you as they all congratulated you three for your work in the sport's festival.

_Damn, I feel like a celebrity..._

Getting off the train, the sky a dark orange from the setting sun, the three of you all talked about various things. The upcoming internships, things you wished you could have changed about the festival, school work, etc. Conversation didn't seem to run dry between the three of you, which was really nice. Most of the talking was done by you and Ochaco, with Izuku interjecting on occasion to join in on the stream of talking.

"Hey, Izuku," you started as you craned your neck back, trying to look at his face from above you in your chair. "Do you have Shouto's phone number?"

"Eh?!"

Your request surprised both of your friends, and you couldn't help but laugh lightly at the shock that crossed their faces. "I just want to tell him I'm fine. He looked really upset when he burned me..."

A look of recognition crossed Izuku's face at your words, and he nodded. If anybody understood Shouto's feelings... It would definitely be Izuku. "Y-yeah, I can give it to you..."

You had opened your mouth to thank him, but somebody else beat you to the punch, effectively shutting you up.

"That was _quite_ the show you put on back there, [N/n]."

You didn't need to look ahead to know who had appeared, a groan bubbling in the back of your throat as you looked forward at Hisoka, clearly unamused and not in the mood to put up with his antics. Granted, you were _never_ in the mood for Hisoka, but he had a knack for appearing at the worst of times, and was totally ruining your good mood!

Sensing the tension, Izuku had stopped wheeling you, both him and Ochaco regarding the strangely dressed man. He looked like a villain in every sense of the word, from his clothing to his demeanor, so you didn't blame the apprehension on their parts.

Gritting your teeth, you were hyper aware of the fact that you were both bound to a wheelchair _and_ unable to use your nen right now.

You were helpless. More than anything though... You were _scared_. If Hisoka tried to hurt your friends, what could you even do right now?

"_Hisoka_. Not surprised you were watching the entire festival," you told him dryly, gripping the arms of your wheelchair. "What do you want?"

Hisoka took a step forward and you tensed, trying to keep calm despite the erratic thumping in your chest. "Izuku, Ochaco... Be on your guard. This guy is trouble," you mumbled to them.

A hand flew to Hisoka's chest in mock offense, but his lips curled upwards, golden eyes amused at the entire situation. "_Aww_, you _wound_ me, [N/n]. I thought we were _friends_~."

"Over my dead fucking _body_ would I ever willingly associate with you, let alone be _friends_."

Hisoka chuckled, a deep sound that made your hair stand on end. "That _can_ be arranged..." The three of you tensed at Hisoka's blatant threat, "but that's not what I'm here for today~."

God, did he have to beat around the fucking bush? You hated all these mind games he played and just wished that he would spit it out!

Izuku finally spoke up, wary of the man before them. "Excuse me but... What do you want with [Y/n]?"

Golden eyes snapped to the boy behind you as Hisoka licked his lips, his grin widening. "Ah... Midoriya Izuku. _You_ are quite promising, as well...~" You didn't like that he had done his research, and you were about to snap at him but Hisoka wasn't finished, holding his hand up. "And of course, Uraraka Ochaco. You certainly have _interesting_ friends, [Y/n]."

You clenched your fists. "Go away, you raggedy ass clown."

Your insult did nothing but amuse Hisoka as he hummed, walking forward. Unknown to you, Izuku was already calculating the best way to escape the situation if it escalated into a fight, the freckled teen tense. Ochaco's fists were clenched as well as she watched with trepidation. Sensing that the three of you were ready to leap in action, Hisoka chuckled again, doing nothing to soothe any of your guys' worries about the psychopath before you.

"_Relax, _I'm not here for a fight right now. I'd _much_ rather wait until your more grown, as you still have _so_ much to learn." His words came out as almost a groan, and you shivered again. Everything he said always sounded so _wrong_. 

God, you _despised_ him.

"Then what the _fuck_ do you want?!"

Your anger was flaring up, and the fact that you were confined to a fucking _wheelchair_ and could barely move your legs only added to the rage you were feeling. This guy was the literal bane of your existence, and if he wasn't here to help you then you swear to every star in the fucking sky that you were going to--

"That face... You really do know how to turn me _on_, [Y/n]."

You could only imagine the look of horror on your friends' faces as you paled, nearly gagging at his words. "If you're not here to help, then leave us alone. I don't have time to deal with you."

Hisoka ignored your words completely. "That move you did in your last fight... You're not ready to do that again, [Y/n]. You can't even use your nen now, _right_~?"

With the flick of a wrist, a card appeared in Hisoka's hand, a sadistic look on his face. "So powerless, so _defenseless_~ I could kill your little friends right now and you wouldn't be able to do a thing~."

His words spurred both of your friends in action as Ochaco and Izuku stepped in front of you. Were they _stupid_?! This guy was way out of all of your leagues! He would _slaughter_ them, they needed to get out of here!

Seeing Hisoka step forward again, closing the distance between you all, you felt panic and fear claw up your throat as you shouted at them. "_Run_! You can't fight him, he's - he's -" you tried to convey the seriousness of this to them. "He's from _where I am_, _Izuku, you can't fight him!_"

Izuku didn't glance back at you, although the stiffness in his posture let you know that he heard you loud and clear. "We won't leave you to defend against him by yourself, [Y/n]. Heroes... they have to intervene, even when they're not supposed to!"

_Curse_ his heroic personality! They were going to get themselves killed, and you were helpless, confined to a wheelchair and basically quirkless to this world!

_They're gonna die... They're gonna die...!_

Letting out a cry, you felt a burst of energy leave your body, your nen violently flaring around you. While they couldn't see it, Izuku and Ochaco had sensed the violent aura that surrounded you as steam wafted upwards from your body, immediately healing the rest of the scrapes and bruises you had. They both looked shocked, but Hisoka looked knowing, stopping in his advances and flicking the card out of existence.

That fucking jester... He _knew_ this would happen!

Backing off, Hisoka grinned down at you. "A word of advice, little flower," he said, causing you to instinctively cringe at his nickname, "if you go overboard with that little _move_ of yours... You may wind up without your nen for good~."

Turning around, you leisurely started to walk off, holding a hand up to wave goodbye. "I'll see you _very_ soon~."

With that, using his bungee gum, he had swung himself on top of a building, disappearing and leaving the three of you standing there in complete and utter shock. Poor Ochaco had the worst of it as she stood there, brown eyes widened beyond belief.

"W-what just..."

Fucking Hisoka. There was no way you could explain all of this away, and you let out a sigh, immediately feeling your energy leave you. You wanted to sleep for _ages_, but at least you had your nen back. The fear of losing your friends had forced your aura nodes back open, and you had a feeling that that asshole _meant_ for that to happen. But his other words also struck a chord within you.

_If you go overboard with that little move of yours, you may wind up without your nen for good._

That was a terrifying thought, but if you hadn't drained your nen, what had happened? Had your body blocked the nodes in order to keep you from injuring yourself further?

Agh, this was all confusing!

"[Y/n]?"

Looking up, you saw both of your friends peering down at you in concern, both of their faces paled at the encounter, and you sighed, slumping in your chair.

"Let's... I'll explain everything when we get to where I'm staying. After what just happened, you deserve to know." Your last sentence was directed at Ochaco, and the two nodded as Izuku texted his mom before taking you to Aizawa's.

Why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn't you have a _moment_ of peace?

Sitting in the home of Aizawa, you three plus your teacher sat at the small dining room table, drinking tea as poor Ochaco and Izuku tried to wrap their heads around the new development. Ochaco definitely was the more confused of the two, since you had to explain it all from the beginning, much to Aizawa's displeasure. You had reasoned with him that your past had put them in danger, and that they had a right to know; the teacher was much too tired to argue, although he obviously didn't appreciate you having guests over without asking him.

"So w-wait... You're from a different world? A-and that Hisoka guy is too..?"

You nodded at Ochaco's question, swirling the green tea around in your cup. "And I'm guessing there's another person from my world working with the League of Villains," you told her solemnly, the brunette blanching.

Izuku, apparently, had bigger concerns. "I still can't believe you're living with _Aizawa_-sensei of all people..."

"Yep, he's like my dad!"

Both Izuku and Ochaco winced at the image of Aizawa being a dad. That was _way_ too strange to imagine for them!

Aizawa had his own concerns as well, his eyes conveying seriousness underneath the layers of bandages around him. "This Hisoka man threatened you all. How can you be positive that he isn't with the League as well?"

Ah, he was angry. He tried to conceal it well, but it was clear to you that he didn't appreciate some man coming up and threatening his students and pseudo-child.

You sighed, not entirely knowing how to answer that yourself. "I'm... Not 100%, but I have a feeling that Hisoka doesn't really like the League all too much," you told him, before sighing again. "But it's Hisoka, so deciphering his intentions are near impossible. I gave up trying to figure out that asshole ages ago."

The others didn't seem too sure of your words, but chose not to argue as Aizawa relented. "I'm still bringing this up to Nezu and the other pros. League or not, he's still a threat and can't be allowed to run amok in this world."

_Yeah, good luck with that_.

Choosing not to argue this one or convince him otherwise, you just nodded, leaning back in your wheelchair as Ochaco glanced between the three of you.

"Deku, [Y/n], even Aizawa-sensei... are you serious? This isn't a joke?"

Her words were hesitant, but you understood where she was coming from as you nodded. "It'd be so much easier if it was..." you grumbled, running a hand through tangled [h/c] hair. "You have to keep this a secret though, alright? Nobody else can know."

Ochaco violently nodded, a look of determination replacing the befuddled expression that had been on her face just moment's ago. "You can count on me, [Y/n]! I'll keep it safe!"

After everybody finished tea, Aizawa had not so politely kicked the two teens out, leaving just you and him as you slumped backwards, a wave of exhaustion hitting you. Today was _long_.

"Dad Aizawa," you said, not even bothering to look over at him to see the reaction to your stupid nickname, "what do I do?"

"What do you mean?"

You finally looked over, your head lazily lolling to rest on your shoulder. "About _this_. Being here... I'm putting you all in danger. I don't know what to do."

Your voice grew small, meek, and your guardian sighed, his eyes closing as he exhaled. "_You're_ not putting anybody in danger," he said firmly. "It's these villains. What they do _isn't_ your fault."

_What they do isn't your fault_.

You couldn't help it as you started to cry, burying your face in your hands. "But I'm here! If I hadn't wound up in this world, then... then..!"

Poor Aizawa was at a loss as to how to deal with your sobbing mess, and you heard a chair scrape across the floor before he had knelt before you, dark eyes serious. "You don't know that." His voice was firm, authoritative, and you didn't want to argue against it as you cried harder, causing him to sigh for the umpteenth time. 

"I'm _not_ equipped to handle this," you heard Aizawa mutter underneath his breath before you felt bandaged hands rest on your shoulders. You looked up, your eyes bloodshot and teary as you looked up at Aizawa. "Everybody will be safe. Those League of Villains punks will _not_ get you or hurt anybody else, you got it?"

Even though you didn't entirely believe his words, they made you feel better as you threw yourself onto him, crying into his shoulder as he let out a low '_oof_' at the impact, bracing you so you didn't fall down. Neither of you said anything else as you cried, eventually exhausting yourself into a slumber as Aizawa carefully (and with a little trouble, considering his own condition) carried you to your bed.

Watching you sleep, the remnants of your breakdown still on your face, the teacher sighed as he pulled the comforter over you and turned off the lights, exiting the room.

Despite everything that had happened already, Aizawa Shouta had a feeling that this was only the beginning - and that was _not_ a good sign.


	24. Peace Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a date with Denki! You spend some time with the girls of 1-A getting ready.

The next day, you felt better. Waking up in your school uniform still, your limbs were still slightly stiff but at least you could move around and walk. Swinging yourself up off your bed, you rubbed your eyes, humming tiredly. _Aizawa must have carried me to bed like a real dad..._

Shambling on over to the bathroom connected to your room, you winced at your appearance. [H/c] hair sticking out in every which way, your [e/c] eyes which were still bloodshot and puffy, and the remnants of the bruise on your cheek. It didn't hurt and wasn't swollen, but there was still a lit bit of discoloration, and you watched in interest as you activated your nen and watched the coloring fade back to normal.

Thank _god_ you had your nen back.

Hopping in the shower, you took your time with your morning routine. By the time you had gotten out, brushed your teeth, and gotten dressed into a more casual outfit, it was just hitting noon. Aizawa was nowhere to be seen - weird, for his day off, but in general Aizawa was a pretty weird guy. On the messy table a note stood out, reading '_Had to take care of some stuff. Recovery Girl says to take it easy.'_

You really hoped he wasn't expecting you to stay in all day.

Feeling your phone buzz, you unlocked it to see that Izuku had sent you a phone number, presumably Shouto's, and you were quick to send your former opponent a message, adding him into your phone.

**To: Icy-Hot  
From: [Y/n]**

**[11:56 am]: **hey shouto, it's [y/n]! just wanted to let you know i'm all healed up, i had a lot of fun fighting you!  
**[11:56 am]: [image attached]**

After a brief second of thinking, you included a selfie to show that you had not injuries whatsoever, flashing a peace sign for the boy. Immediately, underneath it said '_read'_ and you waited for him to respond.

**To: [Y/n]  
From: Icy-Hot**

**[11:57 am]: **Please change my contact name.  
**[11:57 am]: [changed contact name from '_Icy-Hot'_ to '_Todoroki_'  
[11:57 am]: [changed contact name from '_[Y/n]_' to '_Chuunibyou_'**

**To: Todoroki  
From: Chuunibyou**

**[11:58 am]: **rude!  
**[11:59 am]:** uh, hello?

Shouto stopped responding, and you huffed, not bothering to change the names for now as your phone buzzed again, this time from somebody different.

**To: Cutie Pie  
From: Denki-chu**

**[12:00 pm]: **hey, u feeling better?  
**[12:00 pm]: **bc u still owe me a date ;)

Oh shit, you totally forgot about that.

**To: Denki-chu  
From: Cutie Pie**

**[12:02 pm]: **yeah i'm all healed up! do you want to go out tonight?  
**[12:02 pm]:** **[pinned location]**  
**[12:03 pm]:** this is my address!

**To: Cutie Pie  
From: Denki-chu**

**[12:05 pm]: **i'll pick u up at 6 ;)

Exiting out of the messaging app, you stared down at your phone for a moment, what just happened slowly sinking in.

_I have a date with Denki?!_

You _did_ tell him you'd go on a date with him after the sport's festival, but after everything that had happened it honestly had slipped your mind. After all, you had much bigger concerns right now than _dating_ somebody. At the same time, though... Perhaps a break was exactly what you needed. You were pretty sure that Hisoka wouldn't interfere today - at least, you _hoped_ he wouldn't interfere. You were still extremely pissed at the stunt he pulled last night, and did _not_ want to see him.

What should you do, though? You had a feeling this was going to be nothing like your date with Mina from before the festival, but you had never gone on an actual date before! What did Denki even have planned? Oh shoot - were _you_ supposed to plan something?

This called for backup.

Texting your small group chat with some of your friends, it was only about an hour later when they had all arrived at your apartment, the door opening for Toru, Mina, Momo, Ochaco, and Kyoka to come in. You had tried to invite Mei and Tsuyu, but they were both already busy, promising to come another time.

"Okay girl, spill! Who are you going on a date with?" Mina, understandably, was the first to start hounding you as you let your friends in, Momo already going to tidy up the living room.

"[Y/n], how do you live like this?" she asked, gathering some takeout boxes to throw them out. You just chuckled, rubbing the back of your head sheepishly.

"Ahaha... Well, you see..." 

You were quick to explain that you lived with Aizawa, claiming that your parents were dead and that with the League of Villains after you, it was deemed safer to stay with the pro-hero. While shocked, the others all took your story, and you and Ochaco exchanged looks over everybody's head as the rest settled onto the couch in the living room.

Toru was intrigued as she started to look around. "I can't believe this is Aizawa-sensei's house...!"

Mina, however, was not to be deterred. She was a woman on a mission, and was not going to let this slide easily as she gripped your shoulders, nearly shaking you back and forth. "WHO IS THE DATE WITH?!"

"D-Denki!"

Immediately, Mina stopped shaking you as all of your friends let out cries of surprise, and you took a moment to regain your composure after that small act of violence. Even Momo, as even tempered as she usually was, looked shocked, everybody staring at you as if you had grown two heads. You immediately felt flustered and small underneath their gazes, raising your hands up in defense.

"I-I promised I'd go on a date with him at the sport's festival, and he texted me today asking me if I was free tonight..." you explained, your voice growing quieter with each word until it was just above a whisper. At once, the girls started to hound you, until Mina held her hand up, silencing everybody. It seemed that right now, she was the de facto leader of the group - it made sense, considering she was probably the most socially competent of everybody here.

Nodding once, Mina hummed. "Not who I had shipped you with, but this _is_ only a date so there's time to change your mind later on down the road."

"'Shipped'...?"

Ignoring your confused gaze, she started to shove you to your room, the other girls clambering along behind you. "Yaomomo, Uraraka, you two are in charge of hair and makeup! Hagakure and I will work on an outfit, and Jirou, you give [Y/n] the 411 on what to do if Kaminari tries anything funny!"

Immediately you were shoved to sit down on the bed, Mina and Toru helping themselves to your closet as Ochaco and Momo hovered around, unsure on what to do.

"Perhaps a more elegant hairstyle...?"

Distracted from Momo's musings, Kyoka sighed, sitting next to you. "You already know what to do if that idiot tries something suspicious, right?"

You tilted your head, furrowing your eyebrows and trying not to focus on the mess Mina was creating as she threw your clothes onto the floor trying to find the perfect outfit. "Why would Denki try something suspicious...? He's not a bad guy," you said, confused. Was she insinuating he was a double spy...?

Kyoka groaned, running a hand down her face in exasperation. "No, not - ugh. [Y/n], what would you do if he tried to kiss you?"

Your answer was instantaneous. "He wouldn't. We're just friends!"

"But it's a _date_. And it's _Kaminari_."

You shrugged. "Mina and I didn't kiss when _we_ went on a date."

Immediately, Kyoka's face flushed as Mina spoke up. "We almost did though! Remember when we were - ugh, [Y/n], you have no cute clothes in here!"

Mina was quick to get distracted as she started to complain about your wardrobe (or lack thereof), and Kyoka brought your attention over to her, her face serious. "Look, Kaminari is different. And if you need any help, at _all_, you text our group chat immediately and we'll come to you, okay?"

You weren't entirely sure why Kyoka was so worried, but you nodded nonetheless, and the girl sighed.

"You're hopeless..."

After that very brief conversation, Mina had turned around, a dramatically annoyed look on her face. "Hagakure and I are going out to get you something that you can actually wear on your date, we'll be back shortly!"

Before you could protest, the two girls sped out of the house and you deflated. "What's wrong with my current clothes..?"

Ochaco patted your back, and the four of you went back to the living room to just talk while you all waited for the other two members of your party to return. You tilted your head, thinking.

"Wait... Wouldn't it have been easier for Mina to give Momo my measurements and have her create an outfit...?"

The others shrugged, and you all were left waiting instead, with Ochaco doing your makeup in advance. You didn't usually wear makeup (hell, considering where you were from, makeup was usually the last thing on your mind!), so Ochaco kept it minimal and neutral to just enhance your features.

God, this felt weird.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Mina and Toru burst back in, earning a small frown from Momo.

"Shouldn't you two have knocked first?"

They ignored her, immediately whisking you away back into your room and forcing the bag of clothes onto you. "Get changed into these!" Mina demanded, and you were quick to heed her advice, not wanting to really test her right now. Once you were changed, you glanced in the floor length mirror in your room, eyes widening at your appearance. Wearing a long-sleeved, black boat-neck shirt under a muted yellow jumper dress, it was honestly a pretty cute ensemble. The skirt was a bit tight, and while you had been skeptical about the choice of shoes - red, with small heels - they actually complimented the outfit nicely. She had even purchased a little black beret for you to wear with it. There was just one problem...

Peeping your head out the door, you noticed nobody was there, meaning all the girls were probably waiting for you in the living room as you slowly went out, feeling somewhat shy from the choice of clothes. Immediately, their heads snapped up, immediately 'aww'ing and gushing over yourself.

"You look totally _hawt_ in that, [Y/n]!" Mina exclaimed, making your face flush from embarrassment as you smoothed the skirt down, clearly unsure.

"Um, Mina... How am I supposed to fight in this?"

The room immediately became silent, with Mina looking taken aback from your question. "Girl, what?"

You continued, clearly not convinced. "It's just, this skirt is kind of tight and limits my mobility... If I'm attacked, how can I fight in it?"

Mina burst out into laughter, the other girls joining her in varying degrees of noise. "Oh, my sweet [Y/n], you're going on a date, not a _battle_."

"Well, the two are kind of the same, right?" Toru piped in, before bouncing over to you. "You're super cute though, [Y/n]! Wear it!"

Everybody else nodded in agreement, clearly liking the ensemble despite your weariness to wear it. You didn't have time to change though as the doorbell rang, causing Ochaco, Mina, and Toru to squeal and jump in excitement, shoving you forward without any warning as you opened the door and were shoved out.

Standing there confused was Denki, although confusion quickly melted away into a charming grin as he looked you up and down. His face was flushed, and he quickly averted his gaze from you.

"You look... really cute."

His compliment made your heart stop for a moment before you nodded once, feeling at ease and grabbing his hand. He apparently had not expected you to grab his hand as he looked shocked, but you didn't pay any heed to it as you led him away from your apartment. "You look super nice, too!"

And it was true - Denki had cleaned up. Wearing black slacks and a white v-neck with a black leather jacket, he honestly looked pretty cool. At least you didn't have to worry about being too overdressed, although the thought of fighting in this skirt if you had to still worried you...

After a pregnant pause, Denki spoke back up. "Um, was that Aishido I saw back there...?"

You nodded. "After I mentioned to them that I had a date, all the girls came over to help me out. I'm not very good," you gestured to yourself, "at _this_."

He gave you a warm smile, squeezing your hand lightly. "You look great. Haven't you been on a date before?"

Date? Mina had been your first date - before then, you had most certainly _never_ been on a date before. "Where I'm from... Well, dating was the last thing on my mind. I had to focus on keeping myself alive," you explained, looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "It's different here. Everything's more... serene. I don't have to worry as much."

Your words seemed to kind of go over Denki's head, although you were vague with that intent in mind as he tilted his head.

"Where are you from again, [Y/n]?"

"Oh, where are we going?" You swiftly asked, effectively changing the subject. Nezu had once told you that you had to be from a certain island in Japan, but honestly you forgot all about it and were not about to try to rack your brain for _that_ answer. Your attempt at distracting Denki did the trick, though, as he nodded his head at a nice looking restaurant on the other side of the street.

"I hope you like American cuisine, I wasn't sure what all you'd like," he said bashfully. You didn't really know what American cuisine was, but food was food and you were sure you'd like it. Tugging him along, you shot him a reassuring grin.

"I'm sure it will be great!"

And it was - after the first few awkward minutes, you and Denki fell into a more comfortable rhythm as you waited for your food at the restaurant. It was easy since you were already friends - the two of you talked about the new anime that just premiered, video games, the sports festival (much to his embarrassment as you teased him about his swift loss), and the upcoming internships. Despite the constant flirting, Denki was _fun_ to be around with. He sometimes said something stupid and made a fool out of himself in an attempt to look cool, but it always ended with you laughing at his expense.

You were having a blast.

Finishing your food (which consisted of a cheeseburger and french fries - "the most American of American food", Denki insisted), the two of you left after Denki had paid. You thanked him profusely, but no amount of convincing on your part could get him to let you chip in as the two of you walked through Musutafu afterwards.

"And then - and then! Kurapika was like 'money can't buy you _class_, Leorio!' and he got _so_ mad!"

Currently in the middle of telling Denki about when you first met two of your friends, you were careful to not say anything that would make it seem like you didn't belong in this world. After your story, the blond male guffawed, shaking his head.

"That was a good burn! Did Leorio get mad?"

You nodded vigorously, remembering the scene as if it were yesterday. "Oh yeah, he challenged Kurapika to a _duel_. He was _so_ mad and was like '_That's Mr. Leorio to you_'," you told him, trying - and failing - at mimicking Leorio's voice, only sending you and Denki into an even bigger laughing fit. "But now they're super good friends. We've all been through a lot together."

At the end, your voice grew a bit wistful, and Denki furrowed his eyebrows at the change in your attitude. "Where are they now?"

You shrugged. "I... don't know. We all got separated. I just hope they're safe, wherever they are."

Denki drew you in for a half hug, and you were quick to return it, your hand sliding down to intertwine with his own after you two had separated. "Oh, hey," you perked up, changing the subject. "It's an arcade! Let's go!"

Without any further hesitation, the two of you went, telling each other how the other was going to lose badly.

By the time you had gotten home, it was pretty late, much later than either of you had expected to be out. You had texted Aizawa in advance to let him know you were out on a date (to which his texts became very detached after that, just telling you to be careful), that way you didn't worry your dad figure again. Denki had been sweet and funny throughout the entire experience, something you hadn't really expected - who knew he could be so smooth sometimes?

"So that was a success, right?" Denki asked nervously, dropping you back off at your apartment. You nodded ecstatically. "Then maybe a goodbye kiss~?"

His voice was teasing, and you rolled your eyes, stepping forward and giving him the lightest peck on the cheek. "Thanks for tonight, Denki. I really had fun."

Leaving him speechless (in fact, you were certain that his brain had just short-circuited as you heard a small "whee" come from him), you bound up the stairs to Aizawa's apartment and unlocked the door, quickly slipping in and leaning against it after it shut.

'Fun' was kind of an understatement. You didn't realize you'd have such a blast with the class playboy!

"I see you're back."

Jumping at the sudden voice, you looked over at Aizawa, who seemed like he was just getting ready to leave the house for a night patrol. His face was stoic as always, but you were getting a pretty good grasp at reading him, and right now he was... stressed? Irritated? One of those two.

"What's up?" you asked nonchalantly, tilting your head to the side. This caused Aizawa to sigh, running a hand through messy locks.

Shaking his head, he sighed again. "[Y/n]... You have a lot to learn about this world," he muttered, before muttering even quieter, "And I'm not sure if I can be the one to give you the _talk_..." What did he mean by 'talk'? You had no time to ask as he continued. "Just be careful when going on these... _dates_. After all, there are still villains after you, not to mention guys might take advantage of you. Just... next time, don't stay out so late."

Some of his words were lost on you, but you nodded nonetheless, giving him a grin. "Don't worry, it was just Denki! I'm going to bed now, so stay safe on your patrols tonight!"

Missing the slightly confused look that had crossed Aizawa's face when you mentioned Denki, you skipped off to your room, happily tired from the day's events. A break had been much needed, and honestly?

Denki wasn't near as bad as you had thought.


	25. Unwind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You train with Kirishima; you realize you have no clue what your code name should be.

Your last day off was spent being lazy and watching anime, and before you knew it, you were heading back to school. Earlier than you had expected, you made your way to the empty classroom where you always studied with Nejire in, only to be perplexed when you saw that it wasn't her who was waiting for you today. Instead, it was a boy with messy black hair and pointed ears - the shy one you saw when you first met Nejire.

What was he doing here?

Voicing your thoughts as you walked in, you looked around, expecting the older teen to pop out and hug you at any minute. "Um... Is Jire not here today...?

For a moment, the boy said nothing - you half-wondered if he heard you, but then he grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for you to hear.

"She... I'm the one who's tutoring you today..."

_Well, I guess that answers that._

Sitting down at the desk next to him, you nodded once, beaming brightly at him. "I'm [Y/n] Freecss!" While he looked a bit perplexed with your backwards introduction, he introduced himself nonetheless quietly, avoiding eye contact with you.

"Amajiki Tamaki..."

He really wasn't much of a talker. Was he going to be able to tutor you today? You trusted Nejire, so if she put you with this guy you'd just have to trust her judgement, right?

Nodding to yourself, you started to bring out your books, humming. "Alright then, Tamaki! Jire and I were working on Japan's history and about the different eras or something last time, so that's what we should continue today!" The boy just flushed deeply at your usage of his first name, quickly standing up and casting you one look before apologizing.

"I-I'm sorry, I have to go."

With that, he abruptly walked off, leaving you behind in the empty classroom as you stared after him, dumbfounded. He had to go? _Where_? He was supposed to be tutoring you!

"Ah... I wonder if I offended him. Whoops."

Still very bemused at the situation, you decided to just call it good for the day. You'd just wait for Nejire to come back, you supposed. Of course, now with about an hour until school starts, you were unsure as to what to really do. You didn't really have time to go back to your apartment, by the time you got there you'd have to come straight back to school to make it to class on time. Studying was another option, but you weren't really in the mood to do that anymore...

Groaning dramatically, you decided to take your chance and roam the school for a bit. You had nothing better to do, and honestly? You were not about to sit down for 45 minutes messing around on your phone (even if you _were_ obsessed with that new rhythm game that just came out!).

Packing your stuff up and leaving the classroom you hummed, before nodding to yourself and heading to the gym. Might as well get some physical training in while you had the chance, right? Goodness knows that you needed to stay prepared.

Not passing by too many students or teachers, you got to the gym quickly, pleased to see that nobody was in there right now as you went to the locker room to change into your gym clothes. After all, you knew Tenya and Aizawa both would definitely reprimand you if you practiced and got all gross and sweaty in your school uniform. Well... Maybe just Tenya.

Changing quickly, you walked back out. In the short time it took you to change, the gym had a new visitor, one that was familiar and already in his gym clothes. Seeing him do stretches and warm-ups, you waved excitedly towards him, calling out his name.

"Eijirou!"

Looking up, he gave you a sharp-toothed grin. You approached him without any hesitation, and when you got closer he finally spoke up, standing straight. "You here to train too?"

"Yep!" you replied, at ease in the presence of your friend. "My tutoring session got cancelled, so I decided to come here and let off some steam... or something."

He nodded, before his grin lowered and he looked you over with concern. "Are you sure you're okay to do that, though? You were in a wheelchair only a couple days ago and could barely move..."

Despite the sport's festival having only been a few days ago, it felt like it had already been weeks. It only went to show that you shouldn't underestimate your healing capabilities as you laughed nervously, flashing a peace sign as you talked. "I'm all good, I just needed some rest! Besides, villains wait for nobody, meaning there's no time for me to relax if I want to be the very best!"

Determined, you pumped your fist, and were glad to see your antics had worked as Eijirou grinned and nodded, calling you manly before you two started to do stretches again. There wasn't really much talking at first, both of you just focused with warm-ups, until an idea ran across your mind.

"Hey, Eijirou... Do you mind if we spar?"

His head snapped up as red eyes met [e/c], and he tilted his head. "You want to spar?"

You nodded. "No quirks, just hand-to-hand. You win if you can get the other pinned down or to give up. Sound fair?"

He mulled over your words for a moment before nodding, both of you exchanging cheeky grins. Without any further ado, you both backed up, getting into starting positions as you faced each other.

"Ready... start!"

At your words, both of you leaped immediately into action, not wanting the other to get in the first hit. True to your word, you didn't use your nen at all - while you could probably get away with using it and have Eijirou be none the wiser, that wasn't your intention here. You wanted to fight fair, you respected Eijirou enough to do that, but more importantly you wanted to build up your core strength. In the event that you lose your nen again, you needed to stop relying on it so much. What had happened at the sport's festival terrified you, and if you were to practice that ability again, you would have to face the fact that losing your nen _was _a possibility.

It was absolutely _terrifying_ to think about, but did you really have any other choice if you wanted to get back home?

Immediately, you and Eijirou had started to exchange a flurry of blows, one finally landing harshly on your shoulder and nearly sending you stumbling down. In retaliation you brought your leg up, kicking him back as you placed your foot on his abdomen, both of you jumping back for a brief reprieve before going at it again. Going in from the right, you grabbed his arm and threw him over your shoulder as he attempted to punch you again.

Your intent had been to slam him down on the ground and then get him in a headlock that would confirm his defeat, but as soon as he hit the ground and you let go, he had wasted no time in pulling you down to the ground as well. Grappling, you pushed off him roughly, a loud 'unf!' coming from him as your hands met his chest. Rolling away, you started to stand, but immediately your legs were swiped out from underneath you, your head head hitting the ground and causing you to see stars for a moment.

This didn't stop you from swinging your arm forward, even if you couldn't see for a moment. Your hit landed, your fist hitting something hard, but it lacked power, and as you rolled over on your stomach to push yourself off the floor, Eijirou quickly clambered over you, pinning your arm behind your back and pushing you to the floor. Your free arm flailed uselessly, trying to push yourself up to no avail as Eijirou sat on your back.

"Give up?"

His voice was cheeky and breathless, and you squirmed a bit more before going limp, letting your face hit the floor in exasperation.

". . . Best two out of three?"

While a little bit grumpy at your loss, you took it in stride and Eijirou quickly agreed to your amendment, helping you up as you both got into fighting stances again.

Soon enough, best two out of three turned into best three out of five, and then best five out of nine. You and Eijirou were evenly matched for the most part, and the score was at three and four. You were losing, and if he won this round then he won today's sparring session, and you could not allow that. For some reason, he always seemed to gain the upper hand in the end, and it irritated you to no end!

Launching back into battle, you fell into the familiar rhythm of fighting. Your entire body was on fire from the constant exercise but you felt invigorated and happy, especially when you were pushed down and managed to kick your leg up in Eijirou's knee cap, causing his legs to buckle underneath him. Spinning your legs underneath you, you managed to kick Eijirou again, effectively knocking him down before he could regain his balance as you rolled forward to tackle him.

Bringing his arms upward, he grabbed your forearms and flung you over him. Landing in an ungraceful half-roll, half-dodge, you ended up being the one who was tackled as Eijirou tried to pin you down again.

Ohhhh no. Not this time. Not today, Satan.

Hooking your leg around his, you flipped him over onto his back and grabbed his arms, pinning them to the floor as you all but straddled his waist, your chests almost flush together. You were stable enough that Eijirou wouldn't be able to knock you off, and in the heat of the moment you didn't realize how intimate the position was until you both locked eyes.

Immediately, Eijirou went still and stiffened, his face turning a deep shade of red that rivaled his hair. While not necessarily modest - after all, you had nearly stripped in front of Eijirou and half of Japan at the sport's festival the other day - even you had enough sense to be flustered, unable to rip your eyes away from the boy underneath you.

"I... Ah, you win this round."

You nodded mutely, before quickly coming back to your senses and quickly climbing off him. He got up, and the two of you met each other's gaze again before looking away, both of you a blushing mess.

"Uh, I'm, um, sorry!" You stuttered out, and Eijirou waved his hand around, giving an embarrassed laugh at your apology.

"Nah, it's fine. It was just an accident. At least you won!"

You nodded, still feeling flustered as you pressed your lips together in a thin line, giving a small laugh in response. It was a bit weak, your heart pounding too anxiously in your chest to really give much effort as you nodded.

"Uh, yeah... Um, anyways, we should probably, ya know..." You floundered for words, waving your arm around. "Get to class! Yeah!" Your friend readily agreed as you both went to the locker rooms.

Eijirou had waited for you as you changed, it seemed, as when you got back out he was still in the gym. "You fought pretty good," was the first thing he complimented, seeming to go back to normal and forget what had happened in your guys' fight. You nodded, before pouting.

"Not good enough. I expected better of myself, but you beat me almost every time..."

Eijirou laughed in good nature, patting your shoulder in understanding. "You're really good at fighting, [Y/n]-chan," he said, causing you to pout even more. He was clearly amused by you, even as you responded sulkily.

"Not good enough. If I was good, then I wouldn't have lost a majority of our fights."

Eijirou hummed, thinking over your sparring session and his next words. "You're really unpredictable," he started, "which you definitely use to your advantage, but you also tend to have what you're going to do written all over your face. You're very emotional, and it becomes an obvious tell." You hadn't expected the sincere piece of advice, and Eijirou continued to speak, clearly on a roll. "You're also very easy to rile up, which makes you become sloppy. You're a good fighter, but once somebody knows these things about you, it's easy to take you down."

You stopped in your tracks, your eyebrows raised up as you mulled over his thoughts. _Did he just say I'm unpredictable and then proceed to explain how it's easy to predict me...?_

Poor Eijirou took your silence and sudden stop wrongly as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, looking away. "Er, I didn't mean to offend you..!"

You know he didn't, and that's why you shook your head, lips pursed in thought. "No, I actually appreciate it," you admitted. "I'll just have to work even harder to become the best, then!"

Pumping your fist in the air, Eijirou nodded with you, your enthusiasm infectious as he also cheered. With that said, both of you ran to class, able to make it right before Aizawa could start the class without you two.

Sitting down in your seat, adrenaline still rushed through your veins from your morning workout, and you forced yourself to pay attention and _not_ focus on your last fight with Eijirou. To not focus on the way your chests were pressed together, or the way he looked flustered underneath you as you pinned him down...

Aw, fuck. Now you were feeling embarrassed again.

Shambling into the classroom like a zombie was Aizawa, and you perked up seeing his bandages were gone. Did he ditch them this morning? Despite the scar beneath his eye and his usually sleep-deprived expression, he looked just as he was before!

"Morning," he said clearly as the class responded. As usually, he wasted no time in getting to the punch of today's lesson. "We'll be having an important hero informatics class today," he announced, and you stiffened. He never said anything to you! Was it a pop quiz? Oh _shit_, did you even do your homework yesterday?!

"Code names."

_Wait.... what....?_

"Today," Aizawa clarified, "you all will be picking hero names." Slumping in relief, everybody around you cheered at the exciting aspect of choosing hero names to go by, although you were a bit mystified. Could you maybe just go by your first name? You hoped so.

Silencing everybody with one of his infamous glares as his eyes burned red for a moment, Aizawa waited until the class had quieted down before speaking up again. "This is related to those pro-hero draft picks I mentioned before the festival. These picks will pick up in your second and third years, giving you all the experience to become immediate assets to the pros, meaning that for them to offer a place for first years like you, they are interested in your future potential. These offers can be cancelled though if interest dies down by graduation."

You tilted your head, thinking over his words. A chance to work with a pro-hero? You weren't too keen on working with some stranger, but figured it'd give you a chance to work on the flaws that your friend had so kindly pointed out earlier today. Besides, maybe a fresh change of scenery could help you come up with a better game plan in regards to Hisoka and the mysterious nen user?

"Here are the totals for these offers."

Emotionless and stoic as always, Aizawa turned to the board, where the results appeared.

_In second place with just under four thousand... How did I get more than Katsuki?!_

You were floored by the amount of interest shown in you, your eyebrows rocketing upwards in awe. You hadn't even won, yet so many heroes were apparently interested in your potential? Just your luck! You were indecisive, though, and choosing a hero would be hard... Perhaps Izuku's nerdiness could help you out and choose a hero that will help you best with your goals.

Sighing, you tried your best to stay tuned in on Aizawa's explanation on how you all would be interning and that's why hero names were important, but you were too excited about the possibilities of finding a hero who might have answers about your predicament.

_Oh well... I guess I'll find out soon enough when the time comes_.

You just hoped that you could choose the right one.


	26. Self-Analysis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hero internships are coming up; in lieu of it all, you receive a note from a pro-hero, and a warning from a villain.

Class went by surprisingly fast. After Aizawa explained the importance of these draft picks and pro-hero internships, Midnight had busted through the door, announcing she would be the facilitating class to make sure nobody picked any ridiculous names. You thought long and hard about your name - you wanted something that was important to both you _and_ that represented your old world. You'd have to be discreet - after all, nobody was supposed to know your origin. 

"'Enhancer Hero: Aura'? That makes no sense, Freecss."

Pouting, you went back to your seat to think up another name. You thought that was super cool! Maybe Enhancer Hero was too generic. You brought up nen terms in your head, trying to think of their meanings in this world. You had gotten bored when thinking of moves for the sport's festival and had looked them up at some point... Now to just _remember _them.

After Katsuki's second failed attempt, it came to you and you were quick to scribble it down on your board before raising your hand. Midnight allowed you to come back up, and you took a deep breath before revealing the board, a beaming smile on your face.

"Ren Hero: [Y/n]!" You exclaimed. "In Confucianism, 'Ren' means benevolence and kind-heartedness... With this name, I want everybody to see me as a hero who will always help others!" Likewise, your ren skills were probably the best out of your nen skills so it worked out perfectly!

Midnight raised her eyebrows. "You also want to use your given name? Are you sure?"

You nodded. "I don't mind when people call me by my name. Plus that way, everybody sees me as a friend to the people, right?"

Your explanation worked well and Midnight gave you the go ahead, so you bounced back to your seat, waiting patiently for the rest of your classmates to go up.

"Now that everyone's decided on there hero names, it's time to go back to internships," Aizawa spoke blandly as ever, holding up a sheet of paper. "The internships will last for a week, and everybody who's received an offer will get their own list to choose from. Those who didn't have offers will choose from forty agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns.

Taking the paper you received, you sighed in exasperation. No way you were going through over 3,900 names, that was way too much! Some agencies had notes by them, so maybe you'd just look at those and see which ones stick out the most to you? God, this was going to be a nightmare.

With class dismissed, conversation loudly started up, everybody discussing on their options and who they all hoped to train with.

"Who do you plan on going with, [Y/n]?"

Looking up, you saw that it was Ochaco who was asking you, a look on her face making you think she was already dead set on a hero agency. Sighing, you shrugged.

"I don't know... I don't really want to go through all of these offers, to be honest."

Some of the students around you who had heard you started to complain. "At least you got offers!" Mina exclaimed, and you just laughed in amusement. Peering over your shoulder, the pink-haired girl's eyes widened at something on your list.

"Whoa! You got an offer from Hawks!"

"Uh, who?"

At Mina's exclamation and your blatant confusion, the chatter around you got louder as she pointed out the name to you.

_Wing Hero: Hawks_..._ Huh, he's one of the ones who left a note for me_.

Before you could check the note, you were drawn back to reality by your friend shaking you back and forth. "Gah, [Y/n], why did you get so many offers?!"

You laughed at Mina's antics, shrugging her off. "Because I'm just that awesome?"

Putting down the paper for now, you shrugged. You'd take a look at that note later.

School proceeded as normal, and soon enough it ended. You hadn't made a decision yet, but you had a couple more days to really worry about it so you weren't pressed as you hung back with Ochaco and Izuku. Ever since Ochaco had also learned your secret in an attempt to keep her safe and weary about Hisoka, the three of you had been constantly messaging each other. The brunette couldn't really offer much in the way of ideas and help on getting back to your world, but at the very least she was giving you her support. Ochaco was an amazing friend, and you felt relieved that she knew your secret as well.

Who knew keeping secrets like this were so tough?

"So you got an offer too?" Ochaco asked Izuku as you all stood by the entrance, switching over shoes for you all to walk home. Izuku nodded, his expression a lot brighter than it was earlier. You were glad that he had received an offer as well - one offer was better than none, and more than anybody did Izuku deserve that opportunity. If he could control his quirk and use it without hurting himself... He could be amazing!

Ochaco, who had already decided on the battle hero Gunhead, turned to you. "Did you decide to go with Hawks?" she asked you. Izuku, upon hearing the pro-hero's name, lit up. You, on the other hand, weren't entirely convinced.

"I'm not sure..."

Your friends were having none of that, especially Izuku. "I-It'd be amazing!" he protested, his eyes wide and face flushed. "Hawks _never_ extends offers, and yet as a first year you've gotten one from him! It'd be a great opportunity for you, [Y/n]!"

Shrugging, you continued to walk, the three of you in line as you headed towards the train station. "I guess... He left me a note, but I haven't really read it yet. I can think about it, at least." It was as much of an answer your friends were going to get. Knowing how you were, the two dropped it, instead switching the conversation over to Tenya, whom had left before you could all walk home together.

You had heard from both teens that his brother had been injured, all of you assuming he left because he was still not over it. It just reminded you all of how scary and dangerous hero work could get.

"Ah, hold up, my phone's buzzing."

Taking your phone out of your pocket, you saw you had six missed calls from an unknown number. Not a single voicemail was left, and you gazed at your phone suspiciously before declining the call. Who the hell was trying to get a hold of you so bad?

_Bzt Bzzzzt. Bzt Bzzzzt. Bzt Bzzzzt. Bzt Bzzz-_

"Who the hell is this?" Not wanting to make it eight missed calls you had answered the phone, greeting the unknown person with a little bit more malice than you had intended.

"Is that _really_ any way to speak to your--"

You hung up with zero hesitation, your eye twitching in aggravation as the phone started to ring again. Izuku and Ochaco both gave you a questioning and concerned look, and you huffed as you picked the phone back up.

". . . What do you _want_, Hisoka?"

Upon hearing the cursed name, your friends stiffened, staring at you with wide eyes. You didn't blame them - after telling them everything you could about the WacDonald's rejected clown, it was only natural for them to consider him a psychopathic villain at _best_. It definitely didn't help that their first meeting with them had consisted of an insatiable bloodlust and death threat coming from Hisoka.

"Now _now_, I'm calling to give you some friendly advice, [N/n]~" he started in a tone that indicated he knew more than you did. It was condescending and irritating to no end. "Stay away from Hosu in the coming weeks. I'm doing you a favor by warning you now~"

"What the fuck is Hosu. Why do you keep bothering me."

He didn't answer either of your not-questions, instead saying, "Talk to you soon~." and hanging up.

Yeah, you definitely needed to find a way to block this creep from your phone. How the hell did he even _get_ your number?! Maybe you needed a new phone.

"'Hosu'?"

This question came from Izuku, who looked puzzled, and you were quick to explain the cryptic warning you had just received. "That's the city Iida's brother was attacked in..."

"Do you think he knows something?" asked Ochaco, also puzzled over the short phone call. You groaned, running a hand through slightly tangled [h/c] hair. Of course Hisoka would be involved in something fishy and potentially dangerous. _Of course_.

"You know... Hawks' Agency is really close to Hosu."

You raised an eyebrow over at Izuku. "And you're suggesting I go to figure out what's going on?"

Izuku averted his eyes, nodding. "W-well, it makes sense! Clearly there's something over there that _that_ guy doesn't want you finding out... So it'd be best to go, right? B-but then... It'd be really dangerous..."

You bristled at the thought of Hisoka of all people warning you to stay away from somewhere. Gripping your phone tightly (honestly, it was a surprise you didn't break it), you rolled your eyes. "I don't care if it's _dangerous_. That stupid clown isn't my mom, he can't boss me around, and I can do whatever the fuck I want." Both friends flinched a bit at your aggressiveness, but you were unperturbed. "I do what I want, and if I want to intern in Hosu, then I'm gonna damn well be spending a week in Hosu."

Neither teen was really sure how to respond to your miniature rant, and instead you all started to walk again, the silence stale and stagnant.

"I guess... I'll see you all tomorrow."

The three of you parted ways as you boarded a different train than them, swiping your Passmo card passively. Your mind was too preoccupied to really notice the people around you right now.

You didn't really know anything about Hawks, but you felt like it was no coincidence that you received a request from such a peculiar hero and a warning from Hisoka on the same day. After all, didn't you hear somebody say that Hawks _never_ sends out draft picks for internships? Not to mention the close proximity to Hosu... With one search of your phone, you were quick to learn that Hawks was exactly one train stop away from the city where Tenya's brother had gotten injured.

_Stay away from Hosu in the coming weeks_.

As if Hisoka could boss _you_ around! He was stupid if he thought you would listen!

Anger rising up in you, you stormed off the train, making it the apartment in record time and pulling out the stack of papers you received, leafing through them until you found Hawks' name. You didn't even need to look at his note - you had a gut feeling this was the place you should go to, especially if Hisoka was advising you _not_ to go. That creep was always hiding secrets from you, and you had a feeling he was also hiding something important from you about Hosu. Like hell you weren't going to figure it out!

The rest of the afternoon and evening, it was evident you were irritated and restless. Having filled out the correct paperwork messily for your internship, you spent the rest of the night waiting for Aizawa to get home, listlessly flipping through television tables and ignoring your English literature homework that Present Mic had dumped on you.

The door creaked open silently, indicating that Aizawa had returned from school stuff - and by the smell of it, he had returned with Chinese take-out. The prospect of food always put you in a better mood, and you wordlessly bounded over to the kitchen, giving your 'dad' a bland _hello_ before piling a plate high with your favorite Chinese dishes and digging in immediately. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at your behavior but joined you in silence, the only sounds in the apartment being the _clink_ of chopsticks hitting the ceramic plates.

When you were done, you took initiative and started to clean up. It was only then that Aizawa spoke.

"You're annoyed." It was a statement, and you didn't dignify it with a response. Nonetheless, he continued. "You never clean up. Is it about the internships?"

Much like you, Aizawa didn't necessarily have a filter and didn't hesitate to point out problems, immediately questioning you. You grunted in response, viciously scrubbing your plate with a sponge.

"Why can't I go with you?"

Your question caught the teacher off guard, and you turned to him, your face conflicted. "I mean, I've already decided on who I'm interning with, but... Why can't I just stick with you?"

Aizawa sighed. "You need to expand your horizon. I can only teach you so much, [Y/n]," he told you. His tone wasn't empathetic at all, his words delivered in a sort of 'tough love' manner that made you sigh. He... had a point. You couldn't rely on him forever. "Who are you choosing?"

"Hawks."

Aizawa's eyebrows shot up. It was clear he hadn't been expecting that answer, and he hummed. "You got a request... from Hawks?"

You nodded, still not getting what the big deal was over the 'wing hero', and Aizawa mulled this over, opting to not say anything else about your choice. You were thankful, tired of the conversation as he set the plate down besides you.

"Hey, wait, clean your own--!"

Your father figure left the room, and you were left with cleaning up the rest of the mess in exasperation.

Somethings just never seem to change, apparently, and you were left alone with your thoughts as you finished cleaning up the remnants of dinner, putting away all of the extra food for leftovers.

_Hawks, the wing hero... Whoever you are, you better be worth my time. I have to get to the bottom of this._


	27. Scarlet-Eyed Lament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet an old friend. Mysteries begin to unravel.

You hated keeping secrets. One reason was because you were just terrible at it, but the other was because it wasn't right for friends to keep secrets from each other, right? You felt like you were disrespecting and disregarding your friendships with everybody you have met, which is why you, personally, didn't have qualms about telling everybody the truth about yourself. They all had a right to know, right?

This is why you felt even worse keeping a secret from Aizawa of all people. Not telling him about Hisoka's warning was selfish, but if you had told him, you _knew_ he would have immediately barred you from choosing Hawks' internship. You felt guilty, but your need to find answers outweighed it.

Briefcase in one hand and suitcase in the other (you had _finally_ gotten your hero outfit!) you bid a final goodbye to your teacher and all of your friends, heading to the train you were supposed to go on. Happily enough, you spotted a figure getting onto the same train.

"Tenya!"

Calling out, the blue-haired teen waited patiently for you to board before you both found seats. He was uncharacteristically quiet. You half-expected him to reprimand you for shouting across the station platforms, but he didn't, and you squirmed a bit in your seat. He was focused and intense. He wasn't going to be like this for the whole train ride, right?

Speaking quietly as the train jerked into motion, you leaned back. "Interning for a week, this is going to be so exciting! Where are you off to?"

"I will be interning under the pro-hero Manuel in Hosu City." His answer was curt and straight to the point, before he politely asked, "Where are you heading off to, [L/n]?"

"Shinjuku, the stop before Hosu. I'll be with Hawks," you replied in earnest, and he nodded once, giving you a smile that didn't seem all there.

"Hawks is an excellent hero, I am sure you will learn a lot from him."

That was the end of the conversation. Getting the feeling that he didn't want to talk anymore about it, you didn't bother with anymore conversation, instead distracting yourself by reading up on Hawks and what to expect in Shinjuku, Tokyo. You still had a few hours before your stop, so you should take this time to prepare yourself as much as you can.

Tenya didn't bother to talk anymore, either. He clearly had something on his mind, and while you felt awful about it, you doubted there was anything you could do at the moment. Instead, the two of you sat in silence.

It was only when you had a couple stops left that you turned to Tenya, thoughtful in your words. "If you ever need me, just let me know, okay?" you offered solemnly. "Hosu is... well... just be careful."

It was obvious to see that Tenya was a bit perplexed, but he appreciated the sentiment with a firm chop of his hand and a smile. "Thank you, [L/n]. I'll be sure to message you should I ever need your assistance."

You felt like that was good enough, and you stood up and gathered your things, exiting the train without any further comment.

Shinjuku was _huge_. According to the internet, it was well-known for it's entertainment and shopping centers, and you were a bit bummed you wouldn't have any time to check those out. Unfortunately, this work internship thing was proooobably not going to allow you any time to go on a shopping spree.

Damn it.

Scanning the crowd, you saw a girl holding up a large sign with the name '_Freecss [Y/n]_' in bold, [f/c] letters. A poorly drawn smiley face on the end completed the childish poster, and you made your way over. This girl was _certainly_ not Hawks, but she recognized you right away, her face giddy.

"Oh, you must be [Y/n]! I'm Usagi, yes I am! If you will follow me, I can take you to Mr. Hawks' car!" She was just a bit taller than you, with chestnut hair styled into a pixie cut. She had extremely large, round glasses, and behind her glasses were two tiny little black dots where her eyes would be. Certainly nobody you've ever seen before. Perhaps she was Hawks' assistant?

Following her to a classy black car, she gestured for you to get in the back while she loaded your suitcase and briefcase into the trunk. Opening the door and sitting in, your eyes first met a brilliant red as something soft hit your face.

"Sorry 'bout that! You're [Y/n], right?" Despite the familiar use of your first name, it was not a voice you recognized. Your eyes trailing bright red, you finally saw that joining you in the backseat was nobody other than Hawks himself, looking cramped as his wings stretched out. You ducked slightly to avoid being whacked in the head with them.

"And you're... Hawks?"

He shot you a grin and the driver's side door opened as Usagi sidled in, starting the car up. He didn't say anything to you, instead turning his attention to the woman in the front.

"Usagi, maybe this time drive a bit more sane?"

His words fell on deaf ears as the car rocketed forward, and you gripped the side of the door in surprise at the sudden lurch in movement. Oh god, you were going to die.

Laughing at your reaction, Hawks didn't seem too concerned at the fact that his assistant was driving like a literal psychopath, barely missing pedestrians and weaving in and out of traffic. "Don't worry," he tried to reassure you, "Usagi hasn't ever been in an accident. Yet."

You tried to not focus on that last word.

Continuing on, Hawks spoke, "I'm surprised you're not hounding me with questions. Aren't you curious?"

"About what?" you managed to ask, trying to not look out the window. You needed a distraction.

"About the note, of course!"

Oh, yeah, you had completely forgotten he left you a note. Unashamed, you shrugged. "I didn't read it, actually. What did it say?"

At your words, Hawks deflated dramatically, as if you had ruined all of his hopes and dreams before he shrugged it off, stretching his arms slightly. His wing smacked you gently in the face at his movement, causing you to give him an unamused glare.

"Not important now," he mused. "Why did you choose to intern with me if you never read the note?"

Your answer was instantaneous. "I was told to stay away from Hosu. I don't like being bossed around. Therefore, I picked the person closest to Hosu." Your words came out like they were obvious, and the blond blinked once before guffawing, clearly not having expected your answer. It's not like you had any reason to lie about this, as long as he didn't ask _why_ you had to stay away from Hosu. 

He didn't.

Instead, Hawks wiped fake tears from his eyes. "So you have no _clue_ what's waiting back at headquarters for you?" He was amused, not at all offended by your straight-to-the-point answer.

". . . No?"

He shrugged, but didn't elaborate. This caused your curiosity to grow as you waited impatiently for him to say something else. When he didn't, you only huffed in irritation.

"Soooo what's waiting for me?"

The pro-hero gave you a playful wink and a nonchalant shrug. "Should have read the note!"

It was probably nothing, so you rolled your eyes and decided to ask a question yourself. "So why did you extend an offer to - wHOA!"

Veering sharply to the left, you didn't have time to brace yourself as your face hit the window, the car coming to an abrupt stop.

"Seat belts save lives, kiddo," was all Hawks said as he opened his door, Usagi announcing "We're here!" in a bright and peppy voice. Grumbling underneath your breath, you exited the car as well, rubbing your cheek where the glass came in contact with. Soon, though, your irritation ebbed away into awe.

Sprawled out in front of you was a large, towering building that _dwarfed_ U.A. It looked straight out of an anime, and you couldn't help but gawk at the sleek piece of architecture before you. _This_ was where you'd be staying for the next week?!

Laughing at your awestruck face, Hawks gestured towards you. "Come on, kid, our other guest isn't the most patient. Usagi will show you up to your room, so get changed in your hero costume and then we'll take you on a tour." You had missed the words 'other guest', dumbly nodding as Usagi took your arm and slowly leaded you inside the building, straight to a ritzy and chic looking elevator. You didn't spare Hawks a second glance as you got in, waiting for Usagi to swipe a card and press the number '44' on the elevator. The elevator smoothly ascended, Usagi filling the silence with facts about the building that you couldn't care less about.

Within seconds the elevator came to a slow stop, the doors opening with a _ding_ as you both stepped out, Usagi taking the lead. "Your room is just down this hall. I'll wait for you to get changed before taking you on a tour of the building, yes I will!"

Usagi was quirky and weird, but you sort of liked her.

Opening the door that was pointed out to you, you gasped in awe. This bedroom was bigger than yours and Aizawa's apartment! A queen bed sat in the middle, with a couch over to the side and a large television. The carpet looked plush - you could already imagine how soft it would feel underneath your feet, the light cream color inviting you to just lie down and never get back up.

The bathroom was even more luxurious. A large, porcelain bathtub that looked more like a hot tub than anything, with golden faucets that matched the sink. This was _way_ too extra, and you were LOVING it. Did you really only get a week to stay here? You wanted to _live_ here! You felt like royalty.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. After hearing a dull knock and Usagi's voice call out to you, you knew it was time to get changed and take that tour of where you'd be working for the next week. Not bothering to unpack your suitcase (you were going to be here for a week, what is the point of unpacking?), you opened the briefcase, taking a moment to just look in awe at your hero costume. You didn't want something gaudy or flashy but dang, you felt like a true superhero! You wasted no time in getting it on.

Unsurprisingly, your outfit fit perfectly, and you took a moment to admire yourself in the tall, floor length mirror that hung right by the bathroom door. 

You looked _awesome_, not to mention bad ass. You had a black, sleeveless turtleneck underneath a white jacket that had the hunter association symbol emblazoned on the back, black high-waisted shorts, and ankle high combat boots. To top off the look were black leather gloves with hearts cut out on the back. You looked like the much cooler version of Laura Roft from the game _Grave Robber_!

"'In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!'" You quoted, striking a pose that looked straight out of a magical girl anime.

Yeah, you totally looked cool!

Giggling to yourself, you spun around once, getting a feel for the outfit before heading out into the hallway, where Usagi was waiting. Seeing your outfit, she clapped, nodding her head vigorously.

"Your hero outfit looks cool, yes it does! Follow me and I'll give you a tour of the headquarters!"

Without further ado you were following her back down the elevator as she showed you around. The training rooms and gym, the cafeteria, offices, and more. There was a whole floor that was just a giant swimming pool! 

After a couple of hours of touring (no thanks to you getting sidetracked plenty of times), Usagi looked down at her watch and nodded once to herself. "Now, to the meeting room!"

Since you didn't really have a say in the matter you followed her into the elevator, watching it ascend once again before stopping with a clear _ding_! She lead you out with purpose, and lo and behold Hawks was waiting in the hallway. He did a double take at your hero outfit, before shaking his head in amusement.

"What are you, Midnight Jr.?"

"_Excuse me_-"

He interrupted you, waving his hand. "Whatever, it's about time you meet our guest. After all, he's been waiting patiently, surprisingly enough."

Ignoring your complaints (you did _not_ look like Midnight!), he started to walk down the hall, Usagi bidding you goodbye and leaving you no choice but to follow after the pro-hero. 

"_Excuse me_, who is this guest you keep mentioning?"

Hawks lazily shrugged, causing you to groan as the two of you finally stopped in front of a frosted glass door. You bounced on your heels impatiently as Hawks opened the door as slowly as he could.

"We're here!" He announced, finally opening the door wide enough for you to see inside.

"[Y/n]?"

Your heart froze before soaring, a wide grin breaking out on your face at the familiar figure. It had been quite some time since you last saw him, but you'd recognize that yellow-ish blond hair and those analytical brown eyes anywhere, a single ruby tear drop hanging from his left ear.

"Kurapika!"

Racing forwards, you nearly tackled the poor teen to the ground, unable to contain the excitement and happiness as his arms wrapped around your waist to support the both of you and keep you both from crashing. He was hesitant but finally hugged you back before he gently pried you off of him. Probably a good thing - if given the chance, you would have continued to cling onto him like a koala.

Grinning from ear to ear, you grabbed his hands, leaning forward. "I can't believe it's you! It's really you! And your hair has grown even longer!"

Chuckling at your antics, you missed the light blush that had crossed his face as you grabbed his hands. He had forgotten that you were a very affectionate person and he was, well... not.

Realizing the two of you weren't alone, you whirled around to face Hawks, bouncing up and down. "How did you do this? How did you know that Kurapika and I were friends?"

The number three hero laughed in good nature, giving the boy next to you an appraising glance. "It's a pretty long story, [Y/n]," he warned you, "but your friend here ran into me and after a bit of convincing, told me why he was here and all about you. I have to say, you're pretty far from home."

You nodded in agreement, opening your mouth to reply before Kurapika cut you off, his voice not matching your enthusiastic one.

"[Y/n]," he started, catching your full attention. At the tone of his voice, grim and serious, your smile turned into one of confusion as you tilted your head sideways. Shouldn't he be happy that you two were reunited? Like always, the teen was cutting straight to the point. "There's something that you need to know, especially since you've already been put into serious danger because of it," he said.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Is it about the League of Villains?" You couldn't think of anything else that could be putting your life into danger, and he nodded in response, causing you to think. Was your hypothesis on there being a nen user with them right?

Thankfully, you didn't have to wait long for an answer as Kurapika spoke again. However... Perhaps it would have been better to live in ignorance for just a while longer, because with his words, everything changed. No longer were you just fighting against a group of misfit villains with quirks. No, you were fighting against somebody much more powerful, somebody who you knew from experience you were far from taking on.

Somebody who could easily kill you without batting an eyelash.

"The person working with that 'League of Villains'...." Red eyes greeted your visage, rage easily flashing across Kurapika's otherwise grim face. "Is none other than Chrollo Lucilfer."

**Author's Note:**

> idk if this is good enough for ao3 but ayy  
crossposted this story on my quotev account @ unwrapped !


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